The Parent- Child Relationship whether positive or negative, will affect the future of the child. A negative parent will shape the child’s social relationships, skills, and communication way. Unsolved conflicts in the family will result in a more complex situation.

The first place that children learn to be an individual and to socialize is within the family. The connection made will affect the child’s relationships in the future. Every family is different from one another, so this relationship can have either positive or negative effect on people. Kandır ve Alpan, 2008; Korkut, 2012). The relationship one has with family has a big effect on their future life. (Yavuzer, 2010).

Parents are not only important in terms of the child’s education but also in terms of how the child validates and puts boundaries with other people. They are responsible not only for physical needs but also emotional needs too. Learning leaves positive and negative impacts on children’s behavior (Özyürek, 2004).

Parent and child relationships include conflicts, ways of communication, attachment, psychological closeness, trust and communication. (Sharma, 2012). How children understand their parents’ thoughts and roles will affect their emotions and respect towards them. This relationship includes the child’s emotional development, how they control themselves, performance at school and their communication skills (Tam vd., 2012).

Parents are the first social environment that the child has. Children get their first social skills from interacting with their parents and other individuals. Family members are the first models of children, and their social and emotional development is based on this model. A healthy parental relationship is essential for the development of a healthy personality for a child. It also determines the effectiveness of the child in other relationships. (Kandır ve Alpan, 2008; Şener ve Karacan, 1999).

Children analyze their parents and apply what they learn in other relationships. With a positive parent-child relationship children can have meaningful relationships with others. Negative and argumentative approaches affect how children approach their parents and other people. This makes a negative relationship model. (Myers ve Pianta, 2008; Parke ve Buriel, 1998).

“Parent-children relationships affects people’s mental health, healthy lifestyle, use of cigarettes and alcohol, early pregnancy, physical health, social skills and their learning level. In addition to this, conflict between children and parents leads to the children facing adaptation and behavioral problems in preschool and school. (Simkisset vd., 2013).”

Parents should find suitable ways to connect and build relationships with their children. Some education programs for parents focus on strengthening parenting and supporting children at school. Parents can individually educate themselves on this topic by reading and participating in classes or training. As parents’ awareness on this topic increases, their ability to communicate positively with their children increases. Increasing communication, empathy and social skills in the parent will positively affect the relationship (Çakıcı, 2006). As the efficiency in the mother and fathers’ own relationship increases, the child will also too. With this, professional help for parents that have conflict and difficulty with their child will allow them to face difficulties and also share their worries with a professional.

Written by Maysa Hatay (Trans. by Sevgi Emma Sarr)

Reference:

Kandır A. ve Alpan, Y. (2008). Okul öncesi dönemde sosyal-duygusal gelişime anne-baba davranışlarının etkisi. Aile ve Toplum, 10(4), 33-38.

Yavuzer, H. (2010). Ana-Baba ve Çocuk. İstanbul: Remzi Kitabevi

Özyürek, A. (2004). Kırsal bölge ve şehir merkezinde yaşayan anne-babaların çocuk yetiştirme tutumlarının incelenmesi. Gazi Üniversitesi, Yayınlanmamış Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Ankara

George, S., Shaiju, B., & Sharma, V. (2012). Problems faced and coping strategies used by adolescents with mentally ill parents in Delhi. Nurs J India, 103(4), 183-187.

Tam, C.L., Lee, T.H., Kumarasuriar., & Har, W.M. (2012). Parental authority, parent-child relationship and gender differences: A study of college students in the Malaysian context. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 6(2), 182-189.

Myers, S., & Pianta, R.C. (2008). Developmental commentary: Individual and contextual influences on the student-teacher relationships and children’s early problem behaviors. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 37, 600–608.

Simkiss, D.E., MacCallum, F., Fan, E.E.Y., Oates, J. M., Kimani, P.K., & Stewart-Brown, S.(2013). Validation of the mothers object relations scales in 2-4 year old children and comparison with the child-parent relationship scale. Healthand Quality of Life Outcomes, 11(1), 11-49. DOI: 10.1186/1477-7525-

Çakıcı, S. (2006). Alt ve üst sosyoekonomik düzeydeki ailelerin anne-çocuk ilişkilerinin ve aile işlevlerinin anne-çocuk ilişkilerine etkisinin incelenmesi, Gazi Üniversitesi, Yayınlanmamış Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Ankara.

Dereli, E., & Dereli, B. M. (2017). Ebeveyn-çocuk ilişkisinin okul öncesi dönem çocukların psikososyal gelişimlerini yordaması. Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 14(1), 227-258.