Parents are children’s first and best teachers. At an early age children should be taught that there are consequences for their actions. An effective way to begin teaching a child acceptable behavior in a society of rules and standards would be to establish and define age appropriate rules, boundaries, and expectations within the home.
You should never view your toddler’s temper tantrums, kicking or knocking over furniture, hitting, spitting, or biting as “cute” or “child’s play”. It could be an early sign of developing behavioral problems.
In many cases, it appears as though, a child who has been taught to respect their parents at home tend to be more respectful of their teachers and other authority figures outside of his or her home.
Beginning from birth your child is exposed to various learning experiences, from family, peers, teachers, and the mass media. All which provide different types of positive or negative stimulation, which contributes towards your child’s development. It is important that your child’s first positive influence begins within his or her home.
Positive parenting should include household rules and structured activities that would allow your child to learn what is expected of him or her. Such rules enable your child to better structure their time, activities, and relationships with confidence even in the midst of outside pressure and negative influence.
Several sociological studies have revealed children who grow up observing their parents and peers enjoy smoking, drinking, and using drugs, often form the belief that these self-destructive activities are acceptable social behaviors.
Too many children appear to be obsessed with watching television, which often expose them to different forms of obscenities, aggression, gender conflicts, racial stereotypes, and violence. Without parental supervision many of these children are unable to differentiate between acceptable social behavior.
Many have problems separating the violence they watch on television as entertainment from the reality of their violent behavior. By watching television without adult supervision or parental moral persuasion, some children are learning various stereotypes about racial, cultural, and religious groups, which are impacting their relationships with others who appear differently. Consequently, these children adopt the belief that it is acceptable behavior to hate and mistreat others.
There are always exceptions to the rule. In most cases, if a child grows up learning that it is not acceptable to lie, steal, cheat, act rude, or do whatever he or she want to do without regards to the rights of others, they are more likely to conduct themselves accordingly in public.
Teaching your child acceptable social behaviors will not only help him or her learn how to get along with others, it will also help pave the way for a productive future.
(This article includes revised excerpts from my book, An Attitude of Love: On Life and Relationships, Chapter V, “10 Old School Notes On Parenting,” pp. 133-135)
Tags: acceptable behavior, children's behavior, social behavior, violence
