Analysis of Family Relationships - Essay Example

Civilization and Development in Relation to Childhood and Child Rearing Civilization and Development in Relation to Childhood and Child Rearing Every parent’s desire is to give their children the best in life. Their desire is to chart out the right course for their children. In addition to this, they also want their children to enjoy their childhood. However, child rearing is not a bed of roses. One has to have the willingness and stamina to go the whole way despite the challenges that crop up. Living in a modernized world, child rearing and childhood has taken a different dimension. One of the constant issues that parents and children grapple over is discipline. How should a parent handle a child that misbehaves? The issue of disciplining children has caused so much controversy in this modernized world. Talks of rights are all over the place with children demanding the same. Corporal punishment and spanking have become a legal affair. Under what circumstances can one justify the mode of disciplining to be used on children? Development has contributed to the changing talk on childrearing. Decades ago, childrearing was a communal responsibility. A child belonged to the society. Everyone took it upon themselves to ensure that a child was well brought up. Therefore, matters of discipline were not debatable. If a child was caught in the wrong, any old person could deal with the child on the spot. The child knew better than to report home that they were spanked since that called for more beating from the parents. A child could not question an older person’s authority over them. The family was characterized by strong links amongst parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents and children. However, this is not the case in society today. Parents themselves have to think twice before spanking their own children. Society s divided into different groups that advocate for spanking and those that are against it. One group that strongly advocates for spanking is people from the Christian faith. James Dobson is one such person. As a radio talk show host, Dobson is very vocal on this matter. According to him (1992), spanking should be encouraged. He relates his own childhood where his mother disciplined him appropriately. He owes his growth and good development to his mother. Dobson and other likeminded people believe that disciplining a child is paramount to molding him or her into being a person that the society will hold in high regard. He holds that spanking should not be the only mode of punishment, but as a last result. The anti-spanking group argues that spanking is a form of child abuse. They argue that once the parent gets into the habit of spanking their children, a little spanking will lead to a lot of spanking. Before they know it, they will turn to outright violence on their children. Consequently, children protection groups have been organized to cater for the needs of children. Their primary role is to ensure that children have access to their basic rights which includes protection from violence. Civilization has changed the concept of childhood. The family institution has undergone revolutionary changes. As Stearns points out, the modern model of childhood has laid emphasis on schooling (2006). Focus has shifted from work to schooling. Unlike decades ago when the child would go out with their parents t help out in work or sit under apprenticeship, today’s child is education-centered. Mechanisms have been put in place to ensure that the child goes to school. No wonder one of the millennium goals is to ensure that children acquire education. In addition to this, there is the reduction in family size. Long ago, when one talked of family, they were referring to the extended family. Thus, a child had a number of people to learn from. Rearing a child was the responsibility of the extended family. Today, the family unit comprises of the father, mother and children. Beyond that, the child does not recognize other familial ties. In developed nations, this is worse because people are busy making money that they have no time to rear children. Worse yet, some nations have put limits on the number of children a family may have. Sexuality and adolescence have emerged as social issues. In the middle ages, children were a replica of their parents (Newman, 2006). Paintings would portray them as miniatures of their parents; they had similar dressing and almost the same body proportions. It went beyond dressing as they participated in various aspects of social life as well. Aries notes that the concept of childhood was developed as a distinct phase in life in the 17th century (1962). At this time, children were viewed as helpless beings that needed special protection and treatment. The need for protection from the pressures of the world gave rise to the notion of discipline. Children were beaten severely in the name of discipline. Social institutions continued to heavily influence the definition of childhood. In the late 1800, child labor was a common practice. Children would accompany their parents to work in the factories. Children from poor backgrounds were forced to contribute to providing for the family. Hence, they would scavenge for whatever they could get. In light of the above, environment plays a key role in shaping a child (Claverley & Phillips, 1986). Just by analyzing a person, one can determine the kind of environment they grew up in. for instance, children in the Middle Ages grew up as independent people since their environment allowed them to act as adults. Thus, if parents raise their children in an environment where they are over dependent, they should not expect them to be responsible. Similarly, if raised in a violent environment, chances are they will end being violent towards their own children in adult life. The first child protection organizations were heard of in the 19th century. These institutions emerged to cater for neglected and abused children. Their main role was to protect children from economic exploitation. After the entrenchment of industrialization, children seized to be economic necessities. Since they no longer contributed to the upkeep of the family, people began to view children as costly to bring up. At the same time, culture acknowledged the emotional support that children offered. Unlike before when parents looked to children for economic output, they no longer expect anything in return except emotional intimacy (Cunningham, 2005). Today, a parent is more likely to suffer from the loss of a child compared to centuries ago. In the Western culture, childhood is no longer about the child, rather, the parent (Winik, 2000). Parents have taken to raising children at their own comfort. There are rising numbers of young mothers in school. Rather than focus on raising their children, many put it as a side job with education as their prime focus. The family unit has evolved. Single parent families are the norm of the day. As a result, children lack role models to look up to. The single parent may be forced to work two jobs a day so as to cater for the family needs. Consequently, the nanny and babysitting business is booming. Child rearing has become an instant affair. Bookshop shelves are stocked with piles of books on how to rear children. Child experts, psychologists, therapists, authors and radio talk show hosts are in large drones ready to give guidelines on how to rear children. Parents have abandoned the responsibility to other people. The child thus has resulted to other alternatives for emotional support. Cases of drug abuse amongst adolescents have sharply risen over the years. When asked, one of the reasons that teenagers give for using drugs is lack of acceptance at home. Absenteeism of parents leaves the children with no option but to turn to friends for emotional support. Since parents are not there to assess the kind of friends their children make, any company makes good company. Moreover, with increase in sexual predators, children can no longer walk as freely. Therefore, they are forced to live a structured life. The child either attends day care or school, from there, they head back home. They have organized play time characterized by scheduled play dates. This is in contrast to the 19th century where the child was free to explore his surroundings as illustrated by Woodworths (1900).Simply put, western childhood is eroded. The burden lies with parents in ensuring a good childhood for their children. Despite the great strides society has made in development, there needs to be clear demarcations between family life and the economy. There is need to put an end to individualism. Society needs to revert to the days when the child belonged to society and not an individual. There needs to be a reinstatement of the family institution. This way, the child has many people to look up to. In a fast paced world, there is also the need to protect the child from vices like drugs and sexual abuse. The law needs to be strict on abusive parents but at the same allow room for disciplining. In conclusion, civilization has changed the implication of childhood. Before, a child would be considered like an adult. As time progressed, the notion of childhood changed. A child was viewed as a delicate person that needed a lot of shielding. This gave rise to matters of discipline. Later on, the child was viewed as a provider to the family. Since some children have faced abuse from their parents, the law has given provisions for children’s rights. In a dynamic society, one of the emphases on the needs of children lies on education. All in all, parents have responsibility to strike a balance on how development affects child rearing. References Aries, P. (1962). Centuries of Childhood: A Social History of Family Life. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Claverley, J. & Phillips, D. (1986). Visions of Childhood: Influential Models from Locke to Spock. Revised Edition. New York, NY: Teachers College. Cunningham, H. (2005). Children in Childhood in Western Society since 1500 (2nd Edition). UK: Pearson. Dobson, J., (1992). The strong-willed child, Living books. Newman D. M., (2006). Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life, Sixth Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press. Stearns, P. (2006). Childhood in World History. New York, NY: Routledge. Winik, L. W. (2000), "The Demise of Child-rearing". Public Interest, Fall 2000, Retrieved from http://www.nationalaffairs.com/public_interest/detail/the-demise-of-child-rearing Wordsworth, W. (1900). "Ode: Intimations of Immortality." The Oxford Book of English Verse, 1250- 1900, Retrieved February 16, 2012 from http://www.bartleby.com/101/536.html Read More