No Family is Perfect: The Impact of Parents on Child's Behavior

Humans obtain knowledge by observing, listening, experimenting and asking questions. The parenting approach in which a child is raised has a definite and direct impact on that individual's social, psychological, physical, and spiritual actions. Parents play a significant role in the development and growth of their children. Evidently, it has been observed in many different investigations that parenting and ones parents' mental health directly correlates with their child's perspective, temper, and tendencies throughout the entire duration of their life. No family is perfect, therefore this essay will discuss how parental behavior and family situations influence child behavior. Firstly, divorce and family separation lead to many physical and mental issues within children. Secondly, addictions and abuse in families can lead to many issues both physically and mentally. Lastly, the way one acts in social situations, the relationships an individual forms, and one's state of health is influenced by their parents. Parents influence their children in a number of different ways. The approach in which parents expose their children to different situations, values, and beliefs in life becomes extremely important for that individual over time.

Divorce and family separation

Divorce and family separation often generate confusion, frustration, and sometimes mental health issues within children. Younger children may feel unloved or at fault during the course of their parent's divorce because they generally tend to struggle with understanding the complexity of the situation. “Kids are 50% more likely to become seriously ill after a divorce than those with two parents” (Sophie Wright). Studies done on the negative effects of divorce resulted in evidence that young children from divorced homes tend to suffer academically, experience behavioral issues, and suffer from illnesses -- both mental and physical. In addition, adolescents often endure feelings of betrayal and tend to view divorce as a heartbreaking and unjustifiable scenario. Teenagers generally attempt to distance themselves and exhibit extreme anger or hatred towards one or both parents. According to Newport Academy, “A recent survey of close to 1 million adolescents showed that teenagers growing up in single-parent homes were more than twice as likely to experience a serious psychiatric disorder, commit or attempt suicide, or develop an alcohol addiction”. Teenagers with divorced parents are very vulnerable and are more likely to become involved in detrimental situations. Finally, a significant number of children suffer from long-term effects of divorce, including psychological and social difficulties as well as increased anxiety in forming attachments and relationships at later stages of life. Victims of divorce carry deep feelings of abandonment and resentment into their adult years. It’s necessary to add that it is nearly impossible for children who have experienced divorce to recover completely from the adversity. Negative family experiences introduce large-scale changes to the life of a child no matter the age.

Addictions and abuse in families

Experiencing abuse or trauma of a parent suffering addiction at a young age can also cause consequential effects on a child. The issue of parental drug and alcohol misuse usually results in the needs of children being forgotten. Studies show that 1 in 5 children grow up in a home where a parent abuses drugs or alcohol. Children with addictive parents tend to feel not only physically deprived, but emotionally deprived as well. Furthermore, children of parents who suffer from alcohol or drug abuse are at a greater risk of having physical health, mental health, and substance abuse problems as they advance in life. Children who have parents with a substance use disorder are three times more likely to have experienced physical or sexual abuse. “The sequelae of this is that these children are more than 50% more likely to be arrested as juveniles, and 40% more likely to commit a violent crime”(Laura Lander). Thirdly, children in homes where themselves and/or another member of their family is domestically abused may feel extremely afraid and distressed. More than 15 million children in the United States have encountered domestic violence in their homes at least once. Individuals who are victims of abuse are at a very high risk for repeating this cycle when they are older by engaging in abusive relationships or becoming an abuser themselves. Parental addictive behaviors are one of the many factors that play an immense role in the behavioral development of children.

Models the behavior and lifestyle

Each individual models the behavior and lifestyle of their parents through their beliefs, thoughts, actions, and parenting. The culture one grows up in and the teachings of that culture have a direct impact on an individual's happiness, ethics, morality, behavior, and personality. Growing up and being surrounded with culture and its affiliated traditions, cultural norms, and underlying assumptions can have such effects. In European-American culture, children provide long, self-focused, narratives based on personal preferences that are shared through interaction and taking turns talking. The style of the interaction in their culture tends to be a mutual situation, whereas Korean and Chinese Children’s interactions are normally quite brief and relation-based. Furthermore, specific knowledge involving health and safety is gained through the teachings of an individual's parents. This includes important knowledge about accessing health care, protection, good hygiene, and nutrition. For example, parents who understand immunization often have created a safe home environment with effective injury prevention measures. “Parents’ education is also significantly correlated with childrens’ reported health status, with better-educated parents significantly more likely to report their children as being in excellent or very good health — again, independent of insurance status” (Christina Paxson). When a child is born, parents must make the decision to take their child to the doctor and the dentist, to use vehicle safety, provide healthy food, and sufficient exercise. In addition, how children develop into adults, and their future success, is greatly impacted by parenting style. Uninvolved, permissive, and authoritarian parenting styles can result in a child having behavioral issues, poor communication, low happiness, and less competence than their peers. “Authoritative parenting styles tend to result in children who are happy, capable, and successful” (Steven Gans). Children of authoritative parents understand why rules are put in place, acknowledge that they are reasonable, and strive to differentiate between right and wrong by following these rules. Overall, the lifestyle and actions of an individual are often impacted by the behavior and parenting of their own parents.

Conclusion

Parents greatly influence child behavior through their teachings, morals, and conduct. It is evident that divorce leading to family separation can create a negative change within the life of a child. Also, substance abuse, as well as physical abuse, can scar a child for life causing many problems that will be with that person throughout their life. Finally, decisions and actions made by a person are the result of superior influences throughout their lives. No family is perfect, and many forces affect when and how children will change as they grow older. Of course what is learned is not encoded in one’s genes, it is gained throughout an individual's lifetime. It is evident that children are learning many things through their daily experiences, both inside and outside of their homes.  

References

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