Responsible Parenthood II

Civic Education SSS 2 Third Term

WEEK 2 & 3

Responsible Parenthood II

Performance Objectives

Student should be able to:

1. Explain the importance of responsible parenthood in national development.

2. List how crime can be reduced in the society.

Content

1. Importance of responsible parenthood e.g responsible citizens, reduction of crime rates, healthy nation etc.

Importance of Responsible Parenthood

 1. Education.

Our first education comes from our parents. They teach us basic things like tying shoelaces and counting, and also complement the education that we get at school when we are learning to read and write. Good parenting means not only teaching children facts and skills but also providing a supportive environment for children’s independent learning.

2. Morality.

Our parents should teach us right from wrong from the very beginning, and what they teach us can stay with us for life. Parenthood is crucial for developing our morality. Parents can provide moral guidance on all aspects of life, and good parents are always willing to answer their kids’ questions about what the right and wrong things to do are in any given situation.

3. Love.

Our parents should provide us with love throughout our lives, and also teach us to love others. In many ways, our parents can become the model for how we give love in our later lives – so, good parenting is very important in this regard as well. It is so important for children to experience a loving relationship from the earliest years of their life, right through to adulthood so that when they become adults they are capable of loving others and receiving love as well.

5. Safety.

Parents ought to ensure that the home is a place of safety for their children. Parenting is important because it shields children from the dangers of the world. Safety and stability are very important for children: having enough to eat, staying warm in the winter, being accompanied by an adult wherever we go and so on are other aspects of staying safe as a child.

6. Citizenship.

Parents can help to form children to be good citizens by teaching them civic virtues such as unselfishness, neatness, truthfulness and willingness to help others. They can also teach children practical things about being a citizen, such as teaching them how to get around the neighbourhood and telling them whom to call in the event of an emergency. It might be said that the family home is a microcosm of society, where the values of good citizenship – like trust, kindness, altruism and respect for and tolerance of others – are just as important as in the outside world.

7. Teaching parenthood.

When they grow up, many people become parents in their turn. And very often, they will look back on their own childhood days and draw on their memories of their parents in order to decide how to bring up their own children. Parents provide their children with a model for how to bring up a child that will stay with that child for life – so it is important that they get it right.

8. Respect.

Parents can teach their children to respect the views of others, and to respect their elders as well. Respect for parents can provide a good habit that can then be transferred on to our relationship with our teachers, employers and other people in similar positions of authority. Respect should be earned though, of course, and parents ought to strive to be the best parents that they can be so that their children’s respect is warranted.

9. Support.

Parents provide life long support for their children. It does not matter how old a child is, they should always be able to count on their parents to help them out – whether that is with emotional support after a break-up or financial support when they want to put down a deposit on their first house. The parent-child relationship is a supportive relationship that lasts a lifetime. From feeding and clothing their children when they are young to providing them with advice and guidance when they enter university or the job market, parents keep on supporting their children throughout their entire lives.

10. Reciprocity.

We all get old, and when we do, we surely want our children to look after us and to provide us with both the emotional and the material support that we need. If we have been good parents, there is every reason to suppose that our children will be more than happy to care for us in old age. This reciprocal relationship is one of the key reasons why good parenthood is so important.

11. Teaching morality.

Good citizens need to be people who act according to moral principles. Rather than being selfish or trying to deceive each other, they ought to deal in a kind and upright way with each other. Part of a parent’s responsibility is ensuring that they bring up the next generation of citizens properly.

12. Teaching social interactions.

Being polite, making friends, and reaching out to others are all important things in society. Parents can teach children to be comfortable when socializing from an early age.

13. Budgeting and finances.

In order to keep the economy of a given society going, the citizens need to have good control of their finances. Parents can help to get their children into good financial habits early on.

14. Showing children the ropes.

A responsible parent will teach their child how to move in society: how to pay for things in shops and get the correct change, for example, or how to take public transport.

15. Encouraging independent thought.

In a democratic society, or indeed in any society, good citizenship involves expressing one’s opinions, and also respecting the opinions of others. This is seen not least in the voting process. Responsible parenthood, then, also involves teaching children to respect others’ opinions – and to develop their own opinions too. Tolerance of others is a true civic virtue.

16. Appreciating the society.

Children will not grow up to become responsible citizens unless they appreciate the society in which they live. Thus, part of responsible parenting may well include taking children out to enjoy public parks, theatre productions and so on in the city.

17. Becoming responsible par leadership

Our parenting style will often inspire our children when they become parents in their turn. So, being responsible parents is so important if we want our children to become responsible parents in their own right. In so doing, we become part of an established tradition of good parenting that helps to shape our society to get better and better.