I recently had a phone conversation with an elderly uncle, and he casually asked me if I knew the names assigned to age groups in my traditional community.
I told him that I don't pay much attention to my traditional culture, adding that in today's world you just “Google” anything. Sure enough, I searched for information on age settings and there it was.
Culture has changed significantly over the past few decades, and so has the role of parenting. As parents, we must evolve and strive to meet the needs of our children according to cultural norms that change with each generation.
In the past, children were raised by a “responsible community” that provided all the necessary emotional and social support. Today, children have huge online communities from which they receive all kinds of information, some of which is harmful to their psychosocial development. There is an increasing need to support and promote children's mental, physical, emotional, spiritual and social development.
What was once the role of a “responsible community” in raising children now rests primarily with schools and parents. They must take on the great responsibility of enabling children to develop into well-rounded adults in the midst of an international community that may not have the child's best interests at heart.
Decades ago, parents were the main source of educational content that children absorbed. Now, anyone with access to an internet-enabled smartphone, tablet, or computer has the potential to send educational content to your child.
People with the kinds of behaviors and personalities that our parents warned us about can now interact with our children without leaving the house. Indeed, the need for parents to be actively involved in their children's digital world cannot be overstated.
Promoting and supporting the necessary mental, cognitive, emotional and social development of children requires a great deal of effort on the part of parents. Establishing and nurturing a bond with your child through regular intentional hangouts and open conversations is critical to a child's cognitive and social development.
In Kenya, the importance of cognitive development is embedded in Article 53 of the constitution, which entitles every child to free basic education. Parents have a duty to promote their children's education by taking them to school or showing evidence that their children are being educated at home.
This role of parents has become even stronger in recent years, with parents being required to be more involved in their children's education. It's not enough just to take your child to school. Parents are also expected to help their children with homework, discuss their progress with teachers, and be present at academic clinics to encourage their children. All of this is supported by research that shows this support helps children do better academically and in other areas of their lives.
It is also important for parents to provide an environment that allows for their child's social development. Children learn about their society and how to behave appropriately within it. They learn to be kind, to share, to be helpful, to be considerate, and to build relationships.
Encouraging your child's interactions with other children helps develop social-emotional skills such as problem-solving, self-regulation, impulse control, and empathy. This also improves schoolwork, reduces negative social behaviors such as bullying, and creates positive social behaviors. According to the American Psychiatric Association, when children are constantly addicted to video games and other distractions, their psychosocial development can be stunted and, over time, lead to formal mental disorders.
Parents and teachers play the biggest role in social-emotional development because they provide the most authentic relationships for children. Parents who homeschool must be very careful to ensure that their children have opportunities to interact with other children. Consistent experience with families, children, and adults helps them learn about relationships and explore emotions in predictable interactions.
These positive social and emotional interactions are important because they influence a child's self-confidence, ability to develop meaningful and lasting friendships, and sense of importance and value to those around them.
Although modern parents are busy, they must make time for quality interactions with their growing children. Children love to show off their new achievements and skills, so parents should support and encourage them. Parental presence and involvement has been proven to be the most valuable element in raising well-rounded children.
Anthony Mwangi is a Leadership Teacher at Crawford International School
