Role of Parents in Moulding the Character of Children Moulding their children’s character is a great concern of all parents. Parents are constantly doing something or other to make their child do better in studies, inculcate better discipline, excel in sports, learn social interaction and various other aspects depending on their own vision and capabilities. Whether they are aware of it or not they are constantly shaping their child as moulding is an integral part of parenting. Parenting basically has to do with training, disciplining, moulding and at times forcing children to live as parents dictate. Forcing a child to adapt to what they think is right or what they feel the child should be doing is forceful parenting. Forceful parenting often does more damage to their children than it does good. It can demolish self-confidence and destroy the imagination of children.
Parents should strive to ensure that their children learn to experience and express themselves as free human beings. Now-adayswe have parents who, even before the child is one year old, decide to turn him/her into another Virat Kohli or Deepika Padukone. Most of the problems with adolescents can be traced back to an early age when they learned they were to just follow orders.
Children who have to comply rigidly with what is expected of them, develop neither their own vision nor accountability. When not nurtured, their natural lights dim and they just follow their peers or the heroes that are shown to them by the entertainment media.
Some parents, on the other hand, are proud that their children are quiet and polite and that they have done their job very well. They don’t realize that their children are not just quiet but complacent. These children behave that way probably because they have stopped to think. Guiding your child to achieve his/ her true potential is good parenting. Real moulding is when your child shows some abnormal behaviour that is either against the norms of society oris affecting his overall growth and development and you correct that.
The question that bothers most parents is: “What is more important: to shower a child with love and let Nature take its course or to provide intellectual stimulation?” Teiatest
theory maintains that the one complements the other. In the past, it was thought that love could develop a child and compensate for lack of intellectual stimulation. Today we know that to develop a child’s mind and mould his personality mental stimulation initiated by the parents is important.
The bulk of the responsibility for moulding their children’s character rests with the parents. Ideally, parents should rouse their curiosity by giving them plenty of information. When they grow up, they feel free to ask questions about all kinds of things in their environment as their curiosity would have been developed to a keen edge. Parents directly influence their child’s development and behaviour. They must teach their children the importance of honesty, truth, kindness, generosity, hard work and polite behaviour.
The bulk of the responsibility for moulding their children’s character rests with the parents. Ideally, parents should rouse their curiosity by giving them plenty of information. When they grow up, they feel free to ask questions about all kinds of things in their environment as their curiosity would have been developed to a keen edge. Parents directly influence their child’s development and behaviour. They must teach their children the importance of honesty, truth, kindness, generosity, hard work and polite behaviour.
There has been a controversy of heredity versus environment. But it is feltthat heredity, environment and good parenting make the children ideal citizens useful for themselves, their families, their society and humanity at large. Thus, parents have a big role to play in the formation of their children’ character.
