The Parent-Child-School Relation: A Bond Of Love, Care And Dedication

The parent-child relationship consists of a mixture of deeds, feelings, and expectations that are exclusive to a particular parent and a particular child. The relationship involves the complete degree of a child’s growth. Studies have shown that a child’s relationship with the father has an influence on almost every area of a child’s life from academic achievement to sexual development to drug use and depression. The child- father relationship is one that has been receiving progressively more attention over the last few decades.

In a conventional family, fathers are almost always a main source of income. This means that whether parents are married or divorced the father is away from his children for most of the day and sometime part of the evening as well. Fortunately, the quality of the time spent together can mean more than the quantity of the time spent together. Fathers and children can maximize their time together by turning off the television, computer or video games that inhibit interaction; avoiding outings that require silence, such as trips to the cinema; enjoying special day trips, such as to the zoo; and engaging in physical, cooperative play such as football in the park.

Fathers should express children how much they love them. Even on difficult days or after a parent-child disagreement, when parents don't exactly like their child at that moment, it is more important than ever to express their love to one another. Teaching the children about their faith and beliefs are areas where schools cannot do much. Fathers should tell what they believe and why. Allow time for the child to ask questions and answer them honestly. Reinforce those teachings often.

Communication is a must for the development of a healthy father-child relation and schools are the ideal mediators to help children understand their parents and vice versa. It has often been observed that there is lack of communication between father and children due to the fact that father spend less time with them. It seems likely that communication between fathers and their teenage children occurs primarily in participating in shared activities.

This communication occurs best when the schools strengthen the parent-child relationship and the parents in turn teach the child how to co-operate with them. It is important to recognize that strong connections can have beneficial effects, but the opposite is also true. It proves that fathers really do matter. Parent-child relationships influence the development of later peer relations and the adolescent’s adjustment to social settings.