Becoming Parent
The Importance of the Role of Parents in Shaping Children's Character
13 Mar 2024
The Importance of the Role of Parents in Shaping Children's Character
13 Mar 2024

Parents play an important role in shaping the personality of every child they birth and raise. Before children become exposed to the social environment, both at school and within a wider circle of friends, the child's character will first be formed in the family.

Children will learn to socialize well when their family environment is able to provide a positive atmosphere. The formation of a child's character can start from the first day the child is born into the world, of course the stimulation provided is always different at each stage.

From birth until they grow up, parents play an important role as the main figures who shape the characteristics of a child. We will review what this important role looks like in the explanation below!

The Role of Parents for Child Character

It is mandatory for all parents to know, whether they have just had one child, are about to have a child, or already have many children. Parents must always learn new knowledge because every child is born in a different era from their parents' era.

We will try to describe this important role in the form of discussion points. You can learn in detail from the following explanation:

  1. Parents are Responsible for Providing Understanding of Religion
    The first fundamental thing that parents must teach their children is related to understanding religion. Religion becomes the foundation for children in doing everything in the future, whether things related to God or humans.

    Understanding religion in accordance with one's own beliefs can be the forerunner to the emergence of religiosity in children. Children learn to use their minds and hearts in taking action or deciding everything, including speaking.

    Learning about religion can be done theoretically or more effectively through direct practice. For example, in Islam, children are accustomed to praying five times a day to train discipline and carry out obligatory routines while of course increasing their devotion to God.

  2. Parents Must Teach How to Socialize
    After being able to provide good introductions in the family environment, parents play an important role in determining how children socialize. Nowadays, the social environment can start when children are 2 years old from pre-school.

    Children who previously only interacted with family members will learn to interact with their friends at school. Interaction in small groups will provide new experiences for children, of course different from interactions at home.

    Parents can be mentors while at home, while at school the child is under the supervision of the teacher. When they have integrated into the social environment, parents have started to collaborate with teachers in monitoring their children's growth and development outside the home.

  3. Parents Must Model Love
    An example of parental love can be done every day through good relations between mother and father at home. If you have older siblings, children can also learn the meaning of love with older siblings, grandmothers, grandfathers, uncles, aunts and cousins.

    Love taught from the smallest environment, namely the family, can create tenderness in children. When a child's heart is soft, the child can be more sensitive to the emotions around him, such as feeling sad and happy.

    The impact on social life is that children can interact better with their friends and teachers. Children can be labeled as good children who provide a positive role, many peers want to come closer so that they have more social experiences.

  4. Parents Must Introduce How to Protect the Environment
    Apart from good relationships with fellow humans, children must also be taught lessons related to love of nature. As simple as getting children into the habit of not throwing rubbish carelessly, it is an important step in forming a personality that loves the environment.

    From simple things like not throwing rubbish carelessly, it can go on to not pulling up plants carelessly, etc. A sense of concern for nature can teach children to conserve the environment from an early age so that nature is better protected in the future.

    Small things that are taught to children consistently are more effective than providing one understanding, but not doing it in the real world. Cultivating a love of nature has an important role for children and their surroundings.

  5. Parents Give Praise for Children's Achievements
    Don't hesitate to give praise to your child if the child succeeds in achieving an achievement. Children will feel that their hard work is well appreciated, giving rise to enthusiasm for achieving even higher achievements.

    Instead of encouraging children to follow their parents' expectations, it is much better to accompany children in every process. Support gently and according to the path the child has mastered will be more effective in motivating the child than forcing the child.

    Praise to children can be in any form, be it treatment, words, favorite food, walks, toys, etc. No matter how small a parent's act of praising a child, it will give a good impression that the child will carry with them until they grow up.

Conclusion

Based on the information above, there are five important points that can at least shape the characteristics of children inside and outside the family. Parents are responsible for these five things:

  1. Teaching religion so that children have guidance in living according to their beliefs.
  2. Teaches the correct way to socialize to form a healthy friendship environment.
  3. Providing love so that children have a soft heart and care for others.
  4. Teaching love for nature to ensure children become one of the people who save the earth from destruction.
  5. Give praise so that children feel appreciated and motivated in a fun way.

Talking about parenting patterns, it will never end. As times develop, parents' parenting patterns will also develop because the children born will live life with all the facilities and challenges of their time.