Parenting: Managing and Controlling Behavior of a Child

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Parenting is an activity that involves various aspects. One of the issues in parenting is managing child behavior. This paper analyzes what a parent should do to guarantee proper growth of a child.

Introduction

Managing or controlling behavior of a child is one big problem that parents face. Human behavior is not predictable neither is it cured. When children grow, their behaviors change as they continue interacting with the world.

This implies that human personality is not static but dynamic. In most cases, children who seem to be quiet at ages 3 to 6 turn out to be disruptive when they get to age 10 and above. Parents therefore have a responsibility of determining the kind of behavior to accept and encourage their children to ape (Novak, & Pelaez, 2002).

This varies with age because behaviors tolerated at infancy may perhaps be discouraged at adolescence stage. This paper will analyze behavior change in children as a parenting issue.

Website 1: Behavior Issues with Children

The site was found through keying in some parental issues related to child behavior. The researcher keyed in the phrase “parental issues”. The search engine utilized was Google, which is easy to use and gives a variety of options for the researcher to choose.

Palo Alto Medical Foundation created the site in 2011. Pablo Alto Medical Foundation authored the data implying that none of the information can be reproduced without permission.

The organization is a registered medical institution that provides information to the public as regards to child health issues. The main objective of the author is to inform the public about the parenting needs and challenges faced by parents in bringing up children (PAMF, 2011).

The site explains some of the most important things that parents must know in case they are to bring up their children well. For instance, the author notes that it is imperative for parents to understand the behavior of children because it facilitates proper action. Again, the author suggests that parents should set guidelines for children, which allows them to internalize what is required of them.

The site is therefore resourceful and parents are encouraged to go through it. In the modern society, parents should take control of their children’s life by instilling positive attitude in them. This will manifest in adulthood, which further determines the success of an individual.

The site has one weaknesses that is, its inability to address behavioral problems in detail. The article is too brief making it difficult to equip the reader with necessary information.

Website 2: Behavior Problems in Children

Information about behavior problems in children was obtained from the website through Google searching. The researcher typed in the phrase ‘parenting issues’ to obtain the data.

The site was created in 2011. Spock, who is a child psychologist and child psychiatrist, posted the information in the site. The author has a good foundation in dealing with children related issues particularly behavior disorders.

A child psychologist is trained in handling all forms of disorders in children (Spock, 2011). Spock might therefore advice parents on what to do because he bases his conclusions on confirmed psychological research.

Spock’s aim is to market his profession and writings on child behavior. The author is more concerned about treating patients or giving advice to the affected in society. A fee is charged for every service meaning that the author uses the internet to woe customers.

The site is resourceful and recommended to parents because it highlights some of the behavioral disorders in children and goes ahead to offer background information as well as suggesting solutions. The article deals with the cause and effect, which is beneficial to parents seeking to equip themselves with parenting skills.

Just like site one, information in this page is limited. It cannot satisfy the reader seeking to know much about parenting. Any piece of information is recommended to parents wishing to attain parental knowledge hence this site is of help too.

Comparison of the two Sites

There are some slight variations concerning the two sites. The first site is too brief, its author is a medical doctor and the major aim is to educate the public. A psychologist edited the second site implying that it is more insightful.

However, the second site is money oriented that is, parents acquire information at a pay. In terms of content, the two sites are similar. The authors aim at presenting basic principles for addressing behavioral change in children. The second author goes a notch higher to explain effects of behavioral change in children.

Spock observes that neglecting the needs of children not only spoil them but also causes poor performance in school. The two sites differ in the way they present ideas. The first site uses a medical perspective, which is scientific while the second perspective utilizes social concepts that allow more understanding.

After analyzing the two sites, it is concluded that parents have a role to play in molding the behavior of a child. Furthermore, child behavior is one of the complex issues facing parents all over the world (Savelsbergh, 2005).

Find two scholarly journal articles (via Psycho-Info or Google Scholar) that address the topic you have chosen

Article 1

The researcher asked participants whether violent video games affected children’s behavior. Adolescents were asked whether they play violent games. The researcher wanted to know how many games a child played or the amount of time spent in playing games.

The study population involved both parents and adolescents. Six hundred and seven grade eight and one hundred and eleven grade nine students took part in the study (Gentile, & Lynch, 2004). The respondents were drawn from four Midwestern schools.

Sixty-one pupils were from private institutions while 350 were from public schools. A rural public school was also included in the study with a study population of 196 students.

In terms of percentage, 52% were male. For parents, letters were sent to them via email. Parents were requested to respond to questions posed to them in the questionnaire.

The study found out that exposure to violent video games is directly linked to hostile behavior. The research went ahead to confirm hypothesis as regards to this statement. An adolescent was affected more when he/she increases the number of video games watched per day.

It was also established that adolescents became more violent the moment they developed interest in watching or playing violent games. Furthermore, adolescents regularly engaging teachers in quarrels were addicts of violent video games.

Such children could easily fight others. Nonetheless, it was confirmed that adolescents who liked fighting and quarreling with teachers were less argumentative meaning that they acted easily.

The study shows further that parents have a role to play in shaping a child’s behavior. The research suggests that parents should always check what their children do at free time and try to show them what is suitable.

Electronic media such as the television worsens the attitude of the already aggressive adolescent. It is advisable that parents and other stakeholders approach the influence of media on child behavior cautiously (Golden, 2007).

Article 2

The researcher wanted to establish a link between homosexuality and child behavior. He therefore posed some questions to respondents to take their views as regards to child nurturing in a homosexual family (Rekers, 2004). The researcher asked children how they felt knowing that their parents were homosexuals.

The researcher has a strong argument based on evidence. Children are affected by the behaviors of parents implying that parents should adjust their actions first if their children are to be responsible members of society. Participants were requested to respond to specific questions designed by the researcher.

The researcher wanted to know whether homosexuals had relationships with foreigners. The researcher organized for an interview and asked each participant to give views. The researcher critically analyzed the views of each individual to arrive at conclusions pertaining to child behavior.

The researcher noticed that adoption and foster care is not to be exercised by homosexual individuals. Such relations are usually problematic and short-lived. Children do not enjoy the basic love from either the mother or father.

Most homosexuals were found to be alcoholic or abusers of drugs. In this case, children undergo psychological traumas, which affect them later on in life. Children may become intolerant to other people’s views because of poor parenting.

Comparison and Contrast

Both articles present some of the most important tenets of parenthood. A responsible parent will always want to know what the child does after school. The first article support parental monitoring while the second gives some of the things that parents should not do in order to ensure normalcy in the family.

The two articles challenge parents to be more vigilant and come up with other leisure activities for children. The media has enormously contributed to juvenile delinquency although parents are reluctant to reduce its influence. The only weakness of the first article is that it does not give solutions to the problem. It only highlights various problems brought about by violent video games.

Again, the sample used is too small for generalization. The sample is biased because other stakeholders such as school administrators were not involved in the study. The second article is strong because of its scope.

The sample used in the study is representative and less biased. The only weakness is that it bases its arguments on pure science. It does not take into consideration the changing nature of society (Cautilli, & Dziewolska, 2006).

The two articles would be recommended to parents because they both bring out the major issues in parenting. The family is supposed to be a primary unit of life charged with the responsibility of socialization. This role is being lost to the media at a faster rate, which renders parents irrelevant in a child’s learning process.

Homosexuality is not only the cause of delinquency but also depression in children. Therefore, the two articles are important in equipping parents with child rearing dexterities. The findings do not conflict in any way but augment each other in offering important information to parents.

Finally, answer the following questions in approximately 2.5 pages

Modern or contemporary parenting needs are more challenging and demanding as opposed to how it used to be some years back. Increasing technology have introduced new issues that parents need to take care of. The family no longer plays its key role of educating a child but in its place, the school, media, polity and society has taken over.

Production and consumption of goods and services in the post-modern society are undertaken concurrently. This means that information reaches to the child before a parent is aware of its content. Parents are encouraged to establish strong links with their children in case they are to succeed in controlling them.

Techniques applied by our ancestors in upbringing of children cannot flourish in the post-industrial society. Parents must seek advice from experts on how to live with their children.

Human behavior is dynamic implying that it changes with time. It is advisable for a parent to stay with his/her children in order to master the patterns of behavior (Commons, & Miller, 2007).

The most important thing in solving a child’s problem is to understand the nature of the problem. Problems are not the same meaning that different solutions exist. Parental issues are purely social hence contacting a child psychologist or any other qualified psychologist would be recommended.

Moreover, a parent can talk to other parents preferably the more experienced ones. Some problems calls for doctor’s attention hence it is upon parents to categorize problems with the help of psychologists. Religious leaders can also contribute to positive behavior change in children especially the adolescents (Achenbach, & Rescorla, 2001)

Apart from books, journal articles are the best to use in conducting any study. They offer accurate data that facilitates referencing. Authors of journal articles are usually experts in various fields who possess sufficient knowledge as regards to a topic. The findings are concluded after thorough research and approved by relevant bodies.

Any scholar found contravening the laid down regulations is normally barred from practicing the skill. Information found in the websites such as Wikipedia is usually anecdotal and not supported by any writing. A writer gives his/her opinion, which varies from person to person.

Journal articles are more reliable because the research findings can be replicated. This means that another research can conduct the same study using the same tools and arrive at the same conclusions. Information posted in the website is general while journal articles give specific and detailed information.

Of the four resources explored in this paper, it is advisable that an individual goes for the last two that is, the journal articles. Facts are clearly arranged in a journal article, which facilitates understanding and easy conceptualization of ideas.

Abstracts of Articles

1. Gentile, D., & Lynch, P. (2004). Effects of Violent game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance

Video games are some of the liked activities by children in the world. Scholars in the contemporary society associate violent video games with behaviors such hostile cognitions, bad attitudes and misdemeanors. The article talks about the games liked by children (adolescents) and how they are influenced in terms of performance in school and general behavior.

The article seeks to know the role of parents as regards to monitoring of their children. The article establishes the link between video content and a child’s behavior such as hostility to teachers and physical fights.

Through analysis, the researcher found out that adolescents who expose themselves to violent video games are probably more hostile and perform dismally in class. The article concludes its findings by advising parents to be more vigilant.

2. Rekers, G. (2004). Review of Research on Homosexual Parenting, Adoption and Foster Parenting

The researcher in this article examines how homosexuality affects growth and development of a child in a family. The research seeks to unravel the kind of behaviors exhibited by children from homosexual families. Through evaluation, Rekers posits that the level of stress is much higher in children from homosexual families than heterosexual ones.

Foster care brings about psychological disorders to children, which ends up harming them in mature commitments. The researcher seeks to know why children under foster care are susceptible to behavior disorder, suicide attempt and desperate ideation.

The researcher postulates that homosexuality is highly disapproved by the majority in society, which complicates the lives of the school-going children. They feel shame, discomfiture and fear of denunciation, disturbed in friendships and risk banishment. It is advisable for parents to adopt heterosexual relationships in order to keep adopted or real children safe.

The researcher is also worried about homosexual relationships because they prove to be temporary. This would leave children parentless in case the partners break. Children lack either the father or mother figure in the family, which denies them needed love.

In a family setting, each partner has a role to play in upbringing children. Male-female marriage is the only form that guarantees constancy.

References

Achenbach, T.M., & Rescorla, L. A. (2001). Manual for the ASEBA School-Age Forms and Profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont Research Center for Children, Youth, and Families.

Cautilli, J.D., & Dziewolska, H. (2006). Brief Report: The Use of Opportunity to Respond and Practice to increase efficiency of the stepping reflex in a five-month-old infant. Behavior Analyst Today, 7(4), 538–547.

Commons, M.L., & Miller, P.M. (2007). How Early Negative Care giving Experiences Relate to Stage of Attachment. Behavioral Development Bulletin, 13, 14–17.

Gentile, D., & Lynch, P. (2004). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance. Journal of Adolescence, 27(1), 5–22.

Golden, J. (2007). Editorial – Introduction – Children with behavioral and emotional problems: Is their behavior explained only by complex learning, or do internal motives have a role? International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy 3 (4), 449–476.

Novak, G., & Pelaez, M. (2002). A behavior-analytic developmental model is better. Behavior and Brain Sciences, 25, 466–468.

PAMF, (2011). Behavior Issues with Children. Web.

Rekers, G. (2004). Review of Research on Homosexual Parenting, Adoption, and Foster parenting. University of South Carolina School of medicine: South Carolina, Columbia.

Savelsbergh, G.J.P. (2005). Discovery of Motor Development: A Tribute to Esther Thelen. The Behavior Analyst Today, 6(4): 243–249.

Spock, P. (2011). Behavior Problems in children: Finally a fresh new perspective on causes and treatment. Web.

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