Parental Control

Every parent wants nothing more then to see their child happy and successful, as parents we play a large roll in this. Children learn how to react and respond to their environment, and threw this they can learn how to handle different situations they may come cross in their daily lives. The first place this learning experience take place is with in the home and it is biased on what kind of parent we are. One major requirement missing from our society is the lack of parenting style information should be mandatory for parent to have. There are four general parenting styles, Authoritarian, permissive parenting, Authoritative and Uninvolved parenting. The parenting styles are as follows (Van)

• Authoritarian Parenting: With this kind of parent the child never gets a stable set of rules and boundaries, and once these unknown limits are crossed harsh punishment it put into place. This does not allow for open communication between the child and the parent. Since the Parents are unresponsive to the child’s needs and are quick to discipline, this causes these children to often be unhappy, fearful, and anxious.
• Permissive Parenting: This is the parent that gives the child anything they child wants. This parent has little to no rules and no boundaries. Because of this the child has little self control and is normally immature.
• Authoritative Parenting: authoritative parents have set rules and guidelines that their children are expected to follow. This type of parent is will listen to the child and allow open communication between, this in turn helps set up a give and take relationship.
• Uninvolved Parenting: An uninvolved parent is just that, a parent that is no involved with their child. The parent has few demands, and little communication. This parent only gives the child its basic needs.

Each of these parenting styles causes the child to react in different ways. The first example is authoritarian parenting, these children are normally well mannered and behaved, but in turn are unhappy and have low self esteem and low social skills. Next is the permissive parenting, here children are more likely to have problems following orders and dealing with authority. This in turn causes them to have poor performance in school, work and any other establish institution. One could say the children to the uninvolved parents are always going to be the problem children; unfortunately with this parenting style there really is no way around it. Here the children lack self-esteem, low social skills and are normally can not be controlled. After all of this comes the authoritative parenting, here children are normally happy capable and successful (Van ). The typical parent is unaware of the different parenting styles and the harm that some may bring.

As I have stated before, children to do come with manuals, as a first time parent you must weigh things out and hope you get it right. By making it mandatory for parents to have this information, maybe it can not only help the parent with the struggles of parenthood, but also help more children become happy and successful. Some parents may not understand the effects of their parenting styles on their children until it is too late, and the effects are already set into place. By having parents receive this information, may be the first step in helping this process. Maltreatment can come from some of these parenting styles, and as stated before, maltreatment can lead the juvenile to delinquency.

Some say that teenagers today are out of control, they talk back, they have no respect for authority … ect. These children’s behavior stems from how their parents raised them. If parents had knowledge of what they needed to do to and the steps that they needed to have a successful and happy child, then hopefully they would make the effort to do so. In the long run the mandatory information provided to parents may help not only our children, but our communities as well. If parents can deter their children from acting out, and disobeying authority, this may once again help to have better moral in our society.

Resources

Van Wagner, Kendra. Parenting StylesThe Four Styles of Parenting. http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/parenting-style.htm

Abuse and Crime

Crime, arrest, juvenile correction center, these are all things a parent does not want to hear. According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2006 there were 885,245 children that were victims of abuse and there were over 2,000,000 cases of delinquency crimes. There is an undeniable correlation between child abuse and juvenile delinquency. In other words, juveniles that come from an unstable and are maltreated environment are more likely to partake in criminal behavior.

Child maltreatment is a growing problem for our society. Child maltreatment in a nutshell is any form of child abuse this can be physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, parental substance abuse and abandonment. (child) CBS news reported that since this economical recession, and with the funding for prevention drying up, child abuse is only foreseen to get worse. This abuse is a shown to be a key factor in juvenile crime. “Child Maltreatment (e.g. physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect) that occurs at some point prior to age 18 is a risk factor for delinquency” (Thornberry). Child maltreatment is show as on of the leading factors in juvenile delinquency. Although this is a proven fact, the main question is why? Why is it that children that are victims of maltreatment are more likely to offend? There are a few different ideas to explore.

Juveniles become criminals due to child maltreatment. According to the study “Does child abuse cause crime?” Janet Currie states one theory behind this is the social learning theory. This theory is said that an individual will learn criminal behavior from other parties and in turn mimics them. If the child see’s delinquent behavior and they see that this behavior is rewarding, and then they will mimic these delinquent behaviors. This behavior can be the abuse of control over others and the gaining of material items or power, from this control. An example of this is why a child is being physically abused, they may in response abuse another them self. When a child is abused, they become powerless against their attacker. But when the child abuses they get back the sense of power and control was lost then their abuser. By gaining this back, they get a satisfied feeling from this behavior, and this causes them to keep abusing.

Juveniles that are maltreated use other forms behavior to deal with this abuse. Most turn to what is called risky behavior, or behavior that has a high risk of cause the individual harm. This risky behavior roots them into delinquency. “childhood experiences [child mal] increases the risk for depressed affect, suicide attempts, multiple sexual partners, sexually transmitted diseases, smoking, and alcoholism” (Currie). These behaviors acts as an escape from the maltreatment that comes with there home life. But at the same time, these behaviors are illegal, and can cause them harm. This is just one more reason why maltreatment and juvenile delinquency go hand and hand.

There is no way around it; child maltreatment is a cause for concern. Not only is the act it self harming the child, but it causes the child to partake in delinquent behavior. In order for a child to grow properly they need the help of family and a healthy community. “Strong institutions, such as family, religion, and education, are needed to place some limits on us. But the failure of these institutions can be seen in out high crime rates” (Shelden). Unfortunately this delinquent behavior continues long into adulthood. If we as a community do nothing about this growing problem, juvenile delinquency will continue to grow, and along with seeing a rise in criminal activities, we will see a decline in society moral.

Resources
CBS News. “Child Abuse Spikes During Recession” www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/20/business/childofrecession/main5029133.shtml
Child Welfare Information Gateway. http://www.childwelfare.gov/
Currie,Janet, Tekin,Erdal.”Does child abuse cause crime?”Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. Georgia State University. 2006
Shelden,Randall. Tracy,Sharon.Brown,William. Youth Gangs in American Society. Thomson Wadsworth. United States. 2004
Thornberry,Terence. Huizinga,David.Loeber Rolf. “The Cause and Correlates Studies: Findings and Policy Implication” www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/203555/jj2.html
U.S. Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/09s0328.pdf

The Greatest Game Known to Man, or Children.

Children can normally get involved in team sports at the age of three and can continue the sport threw adulthood. Team sports can include soccer, gymnastics and T-ball. These sports are a great form of physical activity and self esteem boosters. Along with these great advantages, a sport also gives parents the opportunity to model respect and sportsmanship to their children. All in all team sports are an vital part of a child’s building block.

Obesity is a growing problem for children in the United States, according to the CDC childhood obesity has more then doubled from the mid seventies to today. Team sports are a great fun filled way to get children to exercise and help prevent obesity. CDC stated in their website “Participating in physical activity is important for children and teens as it may have beneficial effects not only on body weight, but also on blood pressure and bone strength." Physical activity is found in team sports, and practice for these sports normally once to twice a week. In turn having a child participate in team sports ensures they are physically active for at least once or twice a week. Although children need physical activity at least once a day, this is a great option for activity. Physical activities is not only needed in children, but adults are in need of it as well.The CDC also goes on to say "Physically active children are also more likely to remain physically active throughout adolescence and possibly into adulthood.” Children that are involved in team sports normally continue not only physical activities, but the sport as well. Having children involved in team sports is not only helps their physical health now, but is important to their long term physical health as well.

Physical activity is not the only thing children get from participating in team sports. Team sports are a great self esteem booster, which all children need. “Evidence suggests that when properly used, physical activity can provide positive benefits to physical self-esteem and at the same time facilitate the most desirable forms of motivation” (Whitehead). In team sport children must learn how to complete a movement or activity, in order to help them succeed in the sport. Once this is done children are gratified for there accomplishment of learning, causing a self esteem buster. Being encouraged and gratified causes a virtuous self image. Self esteem is a key factor in life. The NNCC (National Network for Child Care ) touched down on this in their website they stated “How you feel about yourself affects how you act. How children feel about themselves affects the way they act.” If children have low self esteem they will have problems not only in a social setting, but in the school and home environment as well. If an individuals self esteem is not raised by the time they reach adulthood, these problems will continue. The self esteem booster that children get from team sports again is another necessary part of life.

Team sports are an essentral role in a child's development, but just as in everything else there can be some developmental disasters. One of these is the parents show lack of respect and poor sportsmanship at the sport event. “NASO [National Association of Sports Officials] receives more than 100 reports annually that involve physical contact between coaches, players, fans and officials” (NASO). Some parents get to competitive in youth sport. The parent in turn gets upset and either yelling or act out in physical violence. This negative behavior is detrimental to the child's development and outlook on sports. On the other hand parent’s behavior can also be a great development tool. If parent show respect and good sportsmanship for each other before, during and after the game children in turn learn this behavior as well.This respect and showing good sportsmanship is dearly needed in life. It is good to teach children this behavior while they are young, so they will continue it as adults. Learning respect and sportsmanship is just another wonderful aspect of having children in team sports.

Team sports are a great way to keep a child physically active as well as boosting their self esteem. These two things are essential accepts not only in children but adults as well. Yes at times parent’s competitive behavior is detrimental to the child's growth, but if done right parents are given the chance to be a great role model. All in all children get positive feed back from team sports. Team sports are a vital part of growth and development for children.

Resources

CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www. cdc.gov

NASCO, National Association of Sports Officials www.naso.org/sportsmanship/badsports.html

NNCC. National Network for Child Care. http://www.nncc.org/homepage.html

Whitehead, James R.; Corbin, Charles B. Self-esteem in children and youth: The role of sport and physical education. The physical self: From motivation to well-being. Fox, Kenneth R. (Ed). (1997). The physical self: From motivation to well-being. (pp. 175-203). Champaign, IL, US: Human Kinetics. xiii, 329 pp.

DISCRIMINATION AND CHILDREN

It is said that the United Stated is home to equality, that everyone can obtain the American dream, no matter what race, gender or age they maybe. Unfortunately this is not completely true. Discrimination, or the making of a distinction in, a person or thing based on differences, stands in the way of this equality. One way that can be help to make the further equality, is by teaching children about differences in people and how to handle these differences. Doing this will cause our children to become more accepting of these differences, and in turn will cause less discrimination.
One major reason for discrimination to be a continuous problem is the fact that people do not fully understand the differences in others. These differences can cause individuals to shy away from one another, or treat one another in a different way. Discrimination can be seen in young children, this is shown by the way the children will separate themselves from others. 3- to 6-year-old children are in the preoperational stage of thinking in which they focus on what they can see. Preschoolers are likely to form opinion based on observable characteristics, material possessions, or preferences (Levitch). At this age children set each other apart from others, based on differences. Because of this children may begin to ask questions to why one individual is different from them. The answer to these questions may hold the key in to the destruction of discrimination.
Children rely on parents, teachers and there other adults to help them interpret the world. One major way for children to learn about their world is by asking questions. They ask questions about things they do not understand. Children that have unanswered questions about race, gender, disability and sexuality will come to their own conclusion (Levitch). These conclusions may not be correct and in some ways may be harmful. This is because children do not have the capabilities to come to a logical conclusion about items they do not understand. If an adult ignores, or does not explain why people are different, then children will form an illogical conclusion. This conclusion maybe harmful and can cause the children to treat the other individual different. On the other hand if an adult takes the time to explain, in a non discriminatory manner, the differences between people, then the children have a better outlook and understanding about differences. This understanding will in turn cause them to discriminate and accept others more.

Resource

Levitch, Alison.”Reducing stereotyping in the preschool classroom.” Information for Child Care Providers. http://extension.missouri.edu/hes/childcare/reducestereotype.htm