Modern parenting trends have changed the relationship between parents and children. To foster positive child development development, parents should focus on spending quality time with their children.
Father and son having some creative fun
Parenting styles include several different types of relationships between parents and children. For example, parents often see their children as extensions of themselves, their friend, or a reflection of their own success. However, because none of these parenting styles involve treating children as children, “young children’s natural developmental processes and learning dispositions are being compromised” (savechildhood.net).
“The more that parents see their child as part of themselves, the greater the likelihood of them wanting their offspring to fulfil their own failed dreams” (Collins). Children with this type of parents struggle to develop individuality and independence because their parents are “”living vicariously through their children” (Collins).
“Thousands of parents are having a ‘negative influence’ on their children by attempting to treat them as friends” (Paton). “Parents’ desire to react quickly in a crisis or to make their children feel better…often manifests itself as an expression of solidarity,” which teaches children “it’s okay not to bother” when encountering challenges. This causes children to be less likely to work to overcome difficulties in the future.
Parents who view their children as a reflection of their own success push their “trophy children” to achieve “to enhance [their] esteem and inflate their social standing” (Castelloe). Trophy children are taught to “[rely] on [their parents] to make their decisions,” so they often lack independence and problem solving skills (Elmaleh).
Mum and daughter bonding over a mutual hobby in class at Little Hands
Because “the relationship between adults and children has changed dramatically…children have less and less opportunities to develop” (Zips). German child psychiatrist Michael Winterhoff warns that “children…are increasingly becoming tyrants – because parents have no limits” (Zip). As a result, children whose parents immediately fulfill their wishes “become very addicted to other things” later in life (Zip).
The Save Childhood Movement considers the “growing concerns over the state of modern childhood,” including “profoundly compromised child well-being” caused by different parenting trends (Steiner Waldorf). The movement “promotes the concept of the child as a citizen with unique developmental rights that need to be protected,” which helps parents understand how their parenting style affects children’s “sustainable wellbeing” (savechildhood.net).
“The way we raise our children…has been changing and developing for a considerable time” (Edwards). For example, discipline “has seen a massive change”over time (Edwards). More specifically, parents are more likely to “explain to children why they are being told off rather than just shouting at them and sending them to their room” (Edwards).
Mother of LHD student wearing the skirt and scarf her daughter made for her in class at Little Hands
“Parents should spend more quality time with children” to develop their relationship with them (Akkoc). Quality time includes a wide range of things, such as reading, sports, or creative activities. The most important thing is to “enhance parent/child interaction” through quality time (Akkoc).
Different relationships between parents and children can have many consequences for child development. Regardless of the relationship between parents and children, it’s essential for parents to spend quality time with their children to develop their relationship.
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