Parent Socialization Effects in Different Cultures - Research Paper Example

? Significance of Parenting This essay has much of its primary concern on the impact that parenting socialization has on children and the entire society. Enhancing relationships in modern society is vital despite the obstacles that impede the growth of individuals. Socialization is crucial in helping create better relations. The way of parenting is a great determinant of how the children grow and develop. It also helps in their perception towards other society members. Socialization refers to a process through which people learn languages, acquire new social techniques, and obtain data. It aims at matching different roles and norms necessary for incorporation into a particular group. Introduction Parents require their children to acquire modern skills on particular actions undertaken to fit in the society. Development of children through parents helps children to be sensitive to the upheavals of the society. It also helps children to know the open and hidden behavioral regulators. Children acquire the ability to socialize from their parents, which is through the different styles parents bring them up. Children brought up in foster care face many challenges to their lives. Culture of the United States inhabitants The culture of different groups refers to elements that the people in a certain society exhibit in terms of their spoken language, faith, music played, and their social practices. Language strengthens the bonds existing between people and encourages literary relationships (McLoyd, 2005). Caucasians and other ethnic groups (Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanics) in the United States used similar methods to socialize their children. Their principal motive was to induct children to the customs of the society. African American parents took children for foster care due to poverty. Hispanics have their principal objectives based on religion, family morals, and significance of intergenerational links. Literature reveals that parents are determinant factors to the well-being of growing youths. Parents involve themselves in the lives of their children to bring out several behaviors. Patterns of childrearing practices and attitudes The ways in which parents interact with their children vary due to some cultural beliefs (McLoyd, 2005). In the recent past, parents determined the socialization capability of children. Parents exhibit some behaviors like indulging in children activities, their way of inflicting rules, and recognition of their offspring. These three aspects are vital for the development of children. A democratic way of bringing up children enhances their attitude towards actions with their parents. This enhances the relationships between parents and children. In addition, children brought up in a situation where parents require them in decision making is significant in that it helps improve the children’s way of thinking. It helps in improving their judgmental capability. The outcome of children decision making determines their degree to cope with different situations in the society. Parents should aim at enhancing morale of their children by ensuring a selection of the best childrearing styles. Development of children determines their ability to accept their parents and make decisions. For instance, where parents exhibit dictatorial style of leadership, children under them will be poor decision makers. On the other hand, parents using the free reign style in making decisions, have their children becoming good decision makers. This is because of the ability to express themselves before adults. This helps build confidence in them since they (children) have a sense of affiliation. On the contrary, children under dictatorial parents lack the potential to express themselves. This makes them lack independence, as there is a limit in consultation. Two dimensions helping one to distinguish the styles that parents use to develop children are acceptance versus rejection, and demanding versus undemanding. To begin with, the first dimension focuses on how parents portray their attitude towards children. Accepting parents are those who consider the concessions of their children whereas rejecting parents are those with less concern of children needs and desires. Self-centered parents make decisions basing on their own interests. The second dimension is on how parents aim at changing the behavioral standards of their children in the society. Parents on the demanding side have much concern on the behavior of their children due to the desire to have children portray better actions on the society. On the other hand, undemanding parents have less concern on their children’s behaviors. Permissive parents may either be, ‘accepting or demanding’, or be ‘unaccepting and undemanding’. Accepting and demanding parents spend and indulge in children activities. On the contrary, unaccepting and undemanding parents isolate themselves from the company of their children and hardly spend time with their children. This hinders children from acquiring knowledge on the societal norms. This may result to failure in performance in that children have less information regarding the morals of the society. In today’s societies, it is vital for parents to concede the desires of their children, and avail necessary information concerning the morals of the society. Through this, the growth of children will have a positive effect in the society, as children are less likely to go against the stipulations of the society. Today, parents under employment take young children for poster care. Children taken care of by foster mothers have different perspectives from children brought up by both parents. Such children have unfavorable environments due to failure to access vital complements required for kids’ development. Limited access to development necessities expose children to increased emotional problems. Such (emotional) problems may also increase due to the desire to have a close relationship with their parents. Significance of parent-child socialization Socialization in the society is essential element in determining existence of cordial relations between people, especially parents and children. Enhanced socialization methods have a positive effect on the relations of parents and children in the community. Some of the relations created through internet knowledge are generally significant in that the internet brings parents and children together. This is through consulting as some of the parents have inadequate knowledge on the use of internet sites. Therefore, they (parents) enquire children to search for the necessary information on kids’ needs. This calls for better relations, as the parents become tolerant to the deeds of their parents. Therefore, it is worth noting that the use of internet improves the relationship of parents and children. Recognition of children makes them have a sense of belonging. The number of children having an access to the internet is accelerating compared with the previous difficulties to access to internet. Parents believe that development of children is through access to the internet. For instance, there are many children with internet-activated cell phones and use them to access information necessary for learning. Such children can coordinate some of the internet information concerning the society with that given by their parents. Through this, they are able to know what previously existed in the society, regarding to the behavior of people. Internet sources provide adverse information on the moral values of a particular ethnic group. Parents unable to access such information, may require to get closer to their children who in turn teach them how to use web sites. Parents’ perception on access to internet is that it helps children acquire investigative skills, decisive capabilities, and enhancing potential of children in academics. Friedman, (2012), necessitates parent to provide their children with personal computers so that they may have an easy access to internet services. This is a way of adopting modern technology, as there is a rapid evolution of technology. The use of internet services also helps in exploring difficult issues (Friedman, 2012). However, the thoughts of particular individuals on the passing of information do not go by the modern ways of passing information. Traditionally, knowledge was from parents to children, a phenomenon that changed since introduction of personal computers. Access to internet services necessitates parents to learn from their children, as children are fast learners. Therefore, parents take time to learn and this call for further assistance from their children. Society and cultural norms change due to the use of various information sources. Parents who neglect the presence of their children usually have a tough time to adapt to new and modern technology. They oversee the assistance from their children, which brings about misunderstanding between parents and children. Failure of parents to value children’s sentiments of deters children from being resourceful to the society. Therefore, it is crucial for parents to limit their control over children. However, they should not expose their children to excess practices like internet services, as some children especially teenagers may misuse the information gotten from across the net services. Factors affecting culture Immigration in countries of the United States contributes to adverse change in socialization. For instance, there are different people with different ways of socializing into the society. People have different languages and exhibit modern or ancient socializing styles. Parents in some cultures give directives, require less assistance from their children, and maintain full control over their children. Common language is essential especially when there is need to enact change (Boss, 2009). For instance, children who have an easy access to internet develop a language that is quite difficult for their parents to understand. Such a language is useful in communicating with aliens in the society. This enhances relations between people of different ethnic groups. Parents who avoid learning from their children denote resistance to change. Children have the responsibility to maintain cordial relations with parents through offering present language lessons. Through this, they help manage relationships between them and parents. Communication and language are vital elements in establishing and maintaining productive relationships within a society. Summary In summary, development of children is through parents. The different practices that parents use to develop their children determine their relationships in the society. There are two categories of parents, which are acceptable and unacceptable parents (Boss, 2009). Acceptable parents are active in the growth of their children while unacceptable parents are less likely to be active towards the growth of their children. There are also demanding and undemanding parents. Demanding parents have concern on the behavior of their children while undemanding parents lack concern on the behavior portrayed by their children. Parents who, due to poverty take kids to foster care only expose them to increased stressful events in their (children’s) lives. Conclusion It is evident that development of children can be through parents. Parents’ behaviors and their response to children demands are inevitable and lead to the perception that children may have towards them (parents). It is worth concluding that socialization is a determining factor in the growth of children. Parents should use all forms available and required to develop their children (Mok, & Morris, 2012). They (parents) should encourage their children participating in decision making, as this helps develop their intellectual skills. In addition, parents should accept teachings by their children, as this leads to acquisition of present technological knowhow. Today, parents should have much concern on the elements that help in developing their children. This results to obedience and resistance to cultural norms of the society. Therefore, parents should struggle to bring up kids not through foster care, which induces stress to children due to lack of enhanced parental care. References Boss, P. (2009). Sourcebook of family theories and methods: A contextual approach. New York: Plenum Press. Friedman, H. (2012). Personality: Classic theories and modern research. Pearson Higher Education: Allyn & Bacon. McLoyd, V. C. (2005). African American family life: Ecological and cultural diversity. New York: Guilford Press. Mok, M., & Morris, W. (2012). Managing two cultural identities: The malleability of bicultural identity integration as a function of induced global or local processing. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 38 (2): 233-246. Read More