Are Parents Really to Blame for Their Kids' Behavior?
Vanessa Olson
Mrs. Novak
September 17, 2012
Final Draft
Are Parents Really to Blame for Their Kids’ Behavior?
Watching how children, or even teenagers my age, act, I wonder how or why their parents let them get away with their behavior. What causes some kids to talk disrespectful to others or throw temper tantrums for the littlest reasons? My parents would tell me how, when they were my age, no one acted out like how children do today; that parents do not have the morals or values that the earlier generations have. After all, I personally would never allow my children to act in such ways. I started to research if parents were really to blame for the way their children act, or if kids act in their own ways no matter how their parents raised them.
At first I searched through Google to see if I could find articles debating whether parents were really to blame for how their children behave. Most of the results came out to be that parents were responsible and that children acting out is usually because there is little discipline at home. I was not satisfied with only these results; I felt that there are exceptions to how children behave that are not solely in result of how they were raised by their parents. School, location, ethnicity, age, and religious factors all influence how we behave.
Children are like sponges-they model everything a parent does and incorporate what they see into their own lives (Erikson 5). Reading this article, I was almost convinced that parents were actually really the main reason for children to act in the ways they do. After all, negative examples can be unhealthy as a child will mimic these and lead them to bad behavior.
I continued to read on what types of factors would influence negative behavior. I found out social skills, stress, discipline, fighting, and child abuse are all major factors that children are exposed to that result in their behavior. Social skills, such as a simple “please” or “thank you”, can be
Mrs. Novak
September 17, 2012
Final Draft
Are Parents Really to Blame for Their Kids’ Behavior?
Watching how children, or even teenagers my age, act, I wonder how or why their parents let them get away with their behavior. What causes some kids to talk disrespectful to others or throw temper tantrums for the littlest reasons? My parents would tell me how, when they were my age, no one acted out like how children do today; that parents do not have the morals or values that the earlier generations have. After all, I personally would never allow my children to act in such ways. I started to research if parents were really to blame for the way their children act, or if kids act in their own ways no matter how their parents raised them.
At first I searched through Google to see if I could find articles debating whether parents were really to blame for how their children behave. Most of the results came out to be that parents were responsible and that children acting out is usually because there is little discipline at home. I was not satisfied with only these results; I felt that there are exceptions to how children behave that are not solely in result of how they were raised by their parents. School, location, ethnicity, age, and religious factors all influence how we behave.
Children are like sponges-they model everything a parent does and incorporate what they see into their own lives (Erikson 5). Reading this article, I was almost convinced that parents were actually really the main reason for children to act in the ways they do. After all, negative examples can be unhealthy as a child will mimic these and lead them to bad behavior.
I continued to read on what types of factors would influence negative behavior. I found out social skills, stress, discipline, fighting, and child abuse are all major factors that children are exposed to that result in their behavior. Social skills, such as a simple “please” or “thank you”, can be
Bibliography: Erickson, Rose. Parents Effect on Child Behavior. 21 Jan. 2010. Web. 14 Sept. 2012.