The Importance of Parenting in a Child's Future

A child’s upbringing plays a critical role in the development of a fully functional adult. The socialization which allows an individual to learn the life skills and a community’s way of life stems from the family unit where parents and siblings assist children in the learning process. Besides the physiological development, children undergo cognitive and psychological growth that influence the problem-solving and decision-making abilities of an individual leading to prosperity in academics, establishing social relationships, leadership and economic performance. While support systems are detrimental towards a child’s growth, there is need to understand the factors determining a prosperous life. This paper will analyze how parents can help children in attaining a successful future.

Parenting Roles in a Child’s Future

A parent ought to assist a child in the development of initiative in life. A bright future is characterized by the ability to develop new ideas and implement them as a way of self and communal development. Based on the fact that children at a tender age are ignorant about life, there is a need for parents to instil an element of creativity in a child by allowing children to find solutions to challenges including school work and domestic chores as seen in the case of cooking. Initiative in children is developed through participation in activities alongside parents and being givens small tasks that call for individual effort with precise supervision. A child who can initiate solutions to real-life challenges at a tender age is bound to succeed in a future that is marked by conflicting occurrences that requires a creative approach. ‘Once a child starts to excel at something … he or she gets praise, admiration and satisfaction. This builds confidence …’ (Chua, 2). The contemporary career and business environments are competitive with the influx of professionals and entrepreneurs seeking success. The initiative creates distinction among individuals thus allowing one to prosper in business or career.

Parents can help children attain a successful future by respecting individuality. People are inherently different based on physiological as well as the psychological capabilities. While the society inclines certain careers, social relationships, businesses or religions, it is important for parents to allow children to pursue individual passions and preferences. People find more fulfilment, happiness and satisfaction in doing activities that they are passionate.  Parents have a role of ‘… encouraging them to pursue their true passion, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement’ (Chua, 3). A successful future of a child should involve pursuing a career and leading a life that one deems as appropriate and ideal. By being able to support a child’s passion, parents assist in developing self-confidence in children which is a required element in the competitive world. Nurturing talent and creating a positively reinforced environment are bound to propel individuals into life success. While the parental advice in career choice is paramount, it is important for parents to consider a child’s inherent life passions and rationale in assessing options to pursue. A balance is required between a child’s life ambitions and the aspirations to prevent conflicts that can lead to broken self-confidence and poor career progression.

Parents also need to avoid micro-managing a child’s life to ensure attainment of a successful future. Where parents become too involved in an individual’s life, a growth regarding decision making and self-sufficiency is lost leading to the development of unreliable adults. Financial management is an important aspect of life and parents play a critical role in ensuring that children develop into financially literate individuals. Learning institutions provide the children with the general knowledge about life and the required skills to attain success. There is a need for parents to provide up-close guidance as children apply the knowledge learnt about life in the real world. However, controlled monitoring allows children to act freely and learn things from personal experience thus developing resilient and bold individuals who can face the challenges of life. Parents, therefore, do not need to be always present in every aspect of a child’s life to provide space for personal experience (Chua, 4).

Conclusion

The future success of a child is reliant on the activities and experiences are undergone during childhood. The ability to develop individual ways of assessing problems, decision making and problem-solving is a step towards a successful future. Guardians and parents have a vital role to play in the mental and physical growth of a child. Besides the material support which includes the provision of shelter, food and education, parents ought to ensure that children become self-reliant individuals in future. The provision of the environment to develop initiative and self-confidence while also enhancing individuality is expected from parents. While parents have a lot to do, there also exist instances where parents should refrain as a way of ensuring that children grow into successful people in future. There is need to embark on self-discovery where children can act on their own and explore individual capabilities. Wayward behaviors in children as witnessed in drug use are rampant, and while parents may have a bearing on a child’s upbringing, personal choices have a great impact on the development of a successful future. Due diligence is required from parents in influencing a child’s growth.

Work Cited

Chua, Amy. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. New York: Penguin Audio, 2011.