Parental education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Parental education - Essay Example The failure of many adults to succeed is rooted in the poor parenting skills of those who raised them, thus suggesting that required parental education would benefit society as a whole. A society has the right and the obligation to define how its members will interact within the ideological framework of its culture. One of the biggest problems in the United States is that most people do not have generations of ancestors who came before them on which to base their cultural belief systems. Therefore, the way in which parents pass their heritage to their children is often convoluted and without social structure, the design of the community not based upon generations of cultural belief systems, but a patchwork of concepts that do not inform those who are trying to find a way to raise their children on exactly what is best in regard to their future. As witnessed in the disrupted families within the two parallel stories of Wes Moore, when the struggle to survive creates a gap between what is life and what one thinks life should be, the frustration can lead children to some very poor decisions that can impact the rest of their lives. Because of the gaps that leave many children struggling to acculturate within their own native society, the concept of parent education is one way that this social problem can be combated. The difficulty, however, is that parenting is a complex activity that is comprised of a number of roles and a wide path of responsibilities. According to Chase-Lansdale and Pittman, list the number of functions of a parent as including â€Å"nurturing, discipline, stimulation, values, activities, and routines† (167). In the process of promoting good parenting skills within those who were at a socio-economic level to receive state assistance for their families, parenting classes have been a part of the reforms. Chase-Lansdale and Pittman have concluded that programs with generous work supports and flexible work requirements have lead to different choices within the family and have promoted, not only better parenting skills, but more stable marriages and less violence between partners which has lead to overall natural better parenting (167). The following factors in the methods of parenting have been instrumental in creating children who make better life choices: warmth and responsiveness, control and discipline, cognitive stimulation, modeling, gate keeping, and family routines and traditions (Chase-Lansdale and Pittman 168). The characteristics of a parent are central to the way in which the parent will provide positive examples of these factors. Chase-Lansdale and Pittman state that â€Å"Single mothers tend to have less positive interactions with their children and provide less firm and consistent discipline as compared with mothers in two-parent households†¦primarily because single mothers have more stressors in their lives† (171). This suggests that parents who are experiencing high levels of stress are not as capable of focusing their positive life experience on their children. According to Carlson and Tanner, parents are the â€Å"primary socialization agents for children†, thus the way a parent approaches life will be passed down to children,