Effects of Parenting

The impact of parenting on youth development

The type of parenting enforced on young children while growing up varies from family to family and culture to culture, with some areas having the ideal positive supportive parenting reinforced, opposed to negative forms of parenting including authoritarian, permissive and lack of involvement in their children’s life. Being a firm believer that the journey taken in life is the reciprocation of early life decisions. I did not believe that being a victim of circumstance would be enough to decide who you become, tradition can always be broken, whether forced upon or growing up around certain patterns from ones culture. Many people who achieve greatness in life arise from tough childhoods and hardships. For much of the world nothing comes easy, having the basic necessities of life and then some are not something that is granted simultaneously from birth.

Poor parenting alone could not possibly have enough of a role to dictate the outcome of ones life, the severity of lackluster parenting can only change so much. Life is not about equality and being fair, unfortunately. We control our own fait. We are meant to be independent. Relying on others to make change in you life will get you virtually nowhere. You can’t control what standard of living you are born into as well you have no say in whom your parents are. Previously sharing the belief that tough childhoods were the scapegoat used on those reaching little success in life, no slack cut for those in tough circumstances. Agreeing with the motto survival of the fittest seems hard to argue against.  Until becoming aware just exactly how influential the impact of parenting can actually be, I mean where else are we taught the basic principles, values, morals… the ways of life.

Independent we are, you live your own life, however the person you are today has a lot to do with how you were brought up. The rather large correlation between techniques of parenting and the outcome of the child is hard to deny, when having negative influences surrounding you constantly it will ultimately mold you as a person in a hurtful way. While examining the moving documentary Born To Brothel it was very clear the uninspiring life style followed through numerous generations, of becoming a red light district prostitute was not exactly something that is a desire from a young age. Instead it is something that is not second-guessed and merely expected of the youth as they enter the appropriate age to do so. Leaving youth very little freedom to be independent and become their own person. With virtually no way of escaping the terrible tendencies of older generations, it is unrealistic to believe they could aspire to much more. Had the children of the red light district been parented positively to strive and prosper there would be less acceptance of their harsh life style, possibly even urging them to be the change the community so desperately needs! Positive parenting isn’t the absence of negative influence but all the positive teachings and active contributions day in day out, solely looking in the very best interest of the child. Being put down and frowned upon for wanting a better future will lead to underachieving.