Special problems of childhood

Some children develop patterns of behaviour that are a problem to themselves and to the people around them. Under certain conditions, such behaviour may be a symptom of a deeper psychological disorder. A child’s behaviour is a symptom of a psychological disorder if it differs widely from normal behaviour, has undesirable side effects, and distresses the child. All three conditions must be present before behaviour becomes a symptom For example, a child who shows exceptional ability in school differs greatly from most other schoolchildren. But the child’s behaviour is not considered a symptom because it does not usually have undesirable consequences or cause psychological distress.

A number of childhood problems may be symptoms of deeper physical or psychological disorders. Two of the most common such problems are unrealistic fears and aggressive, antisocial behaviour.

All children are afraid on occasion. Fear is thus a normal emotion. Fears are unrealistic if they occur regularly in the absence of real danger. In some cases, such fears may be directly related to a frightening past experience. For example, a child who has a fear of all animals may have developed the fear after being attacked by an animal. In other cases, unrealistic fears may be only indirectly related to a past event.

Psychologists define aggression as angry, hostile behaviour that is intended to hurt or upset others. Such behaviour in young children can result from frustration. Children may feel frustrated if their demands are not met, if their feelings of worthiness and self-respect are threatened. Children can learn to control aggression if they are taught at an early age that some of their demands will not be met. A child who develops such a frustration tolerance is less likely to have severe or frequent tantrums. But children may have great difficulty developing the necessary tolerance if their parents are overly strict or overly permissive. If parents are too strict, a child may feel increasingly frustrated in trying to meet their high goals. If they are too permissive, the child may react aggressively to any frustration. Parents also encourage aggression if they are often angry and hostile themselves.

Psychological problems in childhood

Most children learn to control aggression by the preteen-age years. They may do so partly by channeling their energies into hobbies, sports, schoolwork, and other activities. Some children, however, do not learn to deal with aggression effectively. Instead, these children relieve feelings of frustration and hostility by antisocial behaviour, such as bulling other children, stealing or destroying property. Such form of antisocial behaviour worsen if the peer group encourages them.

Other special problems may also be symptoms of psychological or physical disorders. These problems include hyperactivity, poor performance in school and extreme shyness. Most hyperactive children cannot concentrate on anything more than a few minutes at a time. Scientists do not know the exact cause of the disturbance. There is evidence that some cases may be caused by an allergy to certain chemical additives in food, especially particular food colorings and dyes.

Poor performance in schools is frequently caused by a child’s failure to learn to read. Failure in reading may be due to a physical or psychological problems, such as poor eyesight, poor hearing, or extreme shyness. In many cases, however, reading problems can be avoided if parents prepare their children for learning to read. Parents should thus make a practice of reading stories and poems to their children during the toddler and preschool years. Parents should also acquaint their children with books and other reading materials and help them build a vocabulary. Children also need a motive for learning to read. Parents help provide such a motive if they show that they value learning.

In some cases, children become overly shy if they are dominated by older brothers and sisters. Shyness may also begin as an inherited tendency. But the exact causes are not well understood. In every case, a psychologist should be consulted.

Parent

Parent is a father or mother. There are two types of parents, biological parents and social parents. Physical parents contribute the mental and physical characteristics that the child inherits. The child’s social parents – who may not be the same as its biological parents – are the ones who raise the child.

The role of parents is to provide care, love, and training for their children. Children must have years of physical care, including food, shelter, and protection from harm. Love and affection are also necessary to stimulate children to learn and grow. This love should come from a person or from people with whom the children can develop a lasting attachment.

Parents play a major role in a process called socialization, by which children learn to become independent members of society. For example, parents train their youngsters to speak, to dress themselves, and to perform other basic activities. Girls and boys also learn the roles they are expected to play as adult females and males by identifying with the parent of the same sex.

Children are born with great individual differences in intelligence, physical ability, and temperament, and so they vary greatly in talent, personality, and other characteristics. although parents greatly influence a child’s development, they are not completely responsible for his or her strengths and weaknesses. Other important influences, over which parents have little control, also affect a child’s attitudes and development. These influences may include friends, teachers, and even characters on television.

Changes in parenthood have resulted from many scientific, economic, and social changes during the last hundred years. People today have greater freedom than ever before in deciding whether to become parents. Greater numbers of women have entered the work force. Many get jobs because of financial need or to achieve freedom from women’s traditional roles of child rearing and house work. Today, most Ukrainian women with school-age youngsters work outside the home. The traditional division of tasks between parents has changed. Many fathers are now more active in the care of children and the home.