Geographical Location and Child Upbringing - Essay Example

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION AND CHILD UPBRINGING affiliation Geographical location and child upbringing Development is recognized when a child acquires cognitive, social, emotional, and physical capabilities necessary for active involvement in family and community. Various processes are involved for a child to attain full competence in development. The immediate environment determines how a child grows, behaves, and socializes. The impact largely influences the character and nature of a child later in life. Most factors can be controlled since the larger part of child’s environment is created. Parental traits transmitted to the child will also contribute to the general development and personality of a child. The family, the school, and the neighbourhood are the main environment in which a child is nurtured. These three social constructs may give forth a suitable ground for a child to flourish or may pose challenges that threaten to compromise the normal development. Environmental factor such as diseases and surrounding physical features also influence the healthy development of the child (Espy, Molfese & DiLalla, 2001). Recent research analysis A research conducted by Ferguson, Cassells, MacAllister & Evans (2013) illustrates how many children fail to reach their full human potential because of many factors including their geographic location. The factors influenced by the geographic location include toxics, noise, pollutants, housing, crowding, noise, neighborhood, and school quality, affecting both socio-emotion and cognitive development. Research confirms that the bigger population of world children reside in the in the developing world. As a result, most of the children seem exposed to poor physical environment leading to poor health among others. Additionally, they expound how physical locations exposed to toxins and pollutants tend to affect these children’s Intelligence Quotient (IQ). These may be regions with chemical drainages including mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, pesticides, and air pollution from the vast industrial growth. Majority of the children live in these industrial areas meaning they face exposure to all types of polluted air that poses a danger to their health. These children in the poor urban locations suffer from water pollution, sanitation, and access to a clean environment. There is a lot of noise in these locations especially from the factory that affect their learning environment. In addition, poor housing affects their living conditions and consequently their health and education value. The research article draws a good picture of how poor environment may introduce the child to chaos, crowding, and early violence. Therefore, there is a need for interventions on the living environment for these children. Most of the above conditions address the urban industrial regions. It is important to address the children living in the poor developing countries whom due to poverty face similar challenges especially due to poor living conditions, and lack of proper healthcare. There is a need for authority to identify the influencing factors and looking for methodologies to rescue these innocent children from the dangers. The governments should address the issue of inequalities and opportunities for all as a resolution to this menace. Other factors influencing developmental patterns of a child Family The initial bonding of the child is built in the family. This develops prior to the birth of a baby and extends beyond childhood. Favourable home environment increases the chance of a child making impressive progress and achievements in life. Behavioural and cognitive capacity of a preschool child can be influenced heavily by the parental income. Usually children from a financially stable family are likely to experience fewer behavioural challenges and cognitive development. In addition, good nutrition provided at home is vital to physical and mental development of the child. The essential micronutrients such as omega 3 fats enhance the brain development, which is receptive to learning and enhanced memory. The building of a strong body immune system will prevent early childhood illnesses that mainly cause growth retardation and failure to attain the genetically determined body size (Ngure et al., 2014). Brendtro, Brokenleg & Van Bockern (2014, pg.12) found out that family involvements such as birthday parties and outdoor activities encourage active participation of a child in family related issues. Communication is cultivated and bonding between the parents and the child is strengthened. The child gets equipped with skills necessary to attain fruitful relations with other children and society at large. Furthermore, sleep is a physiological state that relaxes the brain and reduces the basal metabolic rate. Peaceful family environment promote enough sleep and rest of the child. The sleep rest pattern of the family also affects the circadian rhythm of the child. Adequate sleep prevents anxiety and restlessness, which are the signs of psychological stress. Stress is associated with production of cortisol in high levels and inhibition of growth hormone production. The child will experience memory disturbances and reduced physical growth sleep hours interference (Anderson, Oti, Lord & Welch, 2009, pg. 1020). Discipline is shaped within the family, the child as he catches certain behaviours and traits or she grows. Socially acceptable behaviours are imparted in a child at an early age either through observation or by direct involvement. Most children who are exposed to a reading culture at home grow up developing intellectually and reserve a vast resource of knowledge. A child who is well read is capable of making achievements early in life. Parents also teach moral values to their child. Basing on the culture and religion of the parents, it is a requirement that a child learns the acceptable ways of interaction and personal contact with the outside world (Brendgen, 2014, pg. 104). However, not only do families make a positive contribution in a child’s life but also can undermine proper development of a child. A poor family for instance does not provide enough food for the child for physical development. Malnutrition can set in at an early age causing growth retardation and frequent sickness that hinder mental advancement and acquisition of life skill (Dewey & Mayers, 2011, pg. 134) Poor parenting styles such as a very harsh parent and that with physical assault to children instill negative characters. Post-traumatic stress disorder is established and in the event of a child trying to develop a defense mechanism, he or she can acquire socially unacceptable behaviours. Violence and lack of respect for people of certain gender can easily surface. School In essence, early years of a child are spent schooling. This time is long enough to manipulate the events that determine the emotional, cognitive, physical, and social development of a child. It is at school where a child meets other children and teachers from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Peer influence is also created here. Most of the activities the child engages in either promote positive or negative development. In as much as formal learning in school is the major tool that shapes a child. It should not be forgotten that the attitudes from teachers directly influence the child. Nonacademic activities provided at school widen the scope of opportunities available for a child to understand himself giving room to explore other options of development. Discipline is also part of learning in school. Children are taught integrity and patriotism through learning. A child gains confidence through increased social interaction at school. Good interpersonal and language skills are coined through appreciating turn taking in conversations, patience and listening. Teamwork is built through group activities such as class assignment and during field events. The element of competition at school acts as a positive reinforcement and a motivational factor towards achieving greater goals in life. A child learns that commitment and dedication in work brings success (Frumkin, 2013, pg. 225). The leadership positions such as head girl or head boy at school teach children to be responsible and accountable. Learning how to supervise others at an early age will encourage a proactive life governed with organization and orderliness. Tamis-LeMonda (2014) purports that not all learnt in school contribute to proper modeling of a child’s development. The peer pressure that can prompt indulgence in drugs of abuse and violence threaten to race down the good fabrics that build up a morally and physically upright child. Bullying at school can encourage fear and poor performance in class and out of class activities. Teachers can discourage and demoralize children on the basis of academic performance through what they say. Reprimanding a child in class while other children are present will pin down self-esteem of a child. Neighbourhood Primarily, the environment surrounding the home of a child significantly affects all aspects of development. It provides a safe environment and opportunities for development. Recreational facilities and resources within the locality of a child will encourage proper physical development, as the children will have enough exercises through playing. Learning also takes place in this setting. As children from different families interact in a common playground, they build a new friendship that is an ingredient to better social and emotional development (Nadeem, Rafique, Khowaja & Yameen, 2014, pg.200). A neighbourhood that maintains good standards of environmental health such as proper drainage and waste disposal reduces the risk of infections. This implies that a child will not be at escalated risk of falling ill due to environmental hazards. Illness has both psychological and physical drawbacks on the normal physical development if not addressed as required. Freedom to practice self-responsibility and self-independence can be attained when the environment in which a child grows in safe and allows intense frequent out door interactions (Smidt, 2010). The neighbourhood free from criminal incidents offers a greater chance for children to freely mingle and visit places of their choice without close supervision from parents. Children learn to be responsible in making decisions and by taking care of themselves bearing in mind not to hurt their parents’ feelings. Even though the main aim of children acting responsibly is to have permission from parents to stay out doors, the emotional sensitivity is gradually instilled. The neighbourhood also has its adverse effects on the development of a child considering the diversity of events and associations that exist. Insecurity will limit the movement and interaction of the child with others as well as with the environment. This denies the child a chance of socializing and self-learning. In the worst of situations, child abuse such as sexual or physical assault undermines the emotional and social wellbeing. Presence of business such as pubs and nightclubs in neighbourhood negatively affect the morality of children. Early exposure is occasioned by a child’s curiosity and complacence of parents and the premises to laws restricting under age involvement in adult events. Children will end up acquiring detrimental behaviours such as premarital sex, drug addiction, and violence since they are practical in nature (Avan & Kirkwood, 2010, pg. 106). Urban verses rural location Different localities have a varied systems and patterns of life all of which are interlinked to modify the behaviours of an individual. Rural people are regarded as conservatism and cultural oriented. They still identify themselves with cultural norms and practices. A child born in this environment is obliged to strongly adhere to the culture. Values taught are aimed at upholding the traditions of the community (The Growth of Moral Judgment in Young Children, 1989) Children perform duties ascribed to them based on being male or female. This limits a child’s ability to develop different any yet necessary skills and knowledge. Failure to appreciate diversity constricts the field of opportunities for a child. The good side is the rural environment provides a good learning and educational background with little distractions. The urban environment on the other hand provides a variety of opportunities for a child to develop. Since there is cultural diversity, the child is brought up using a blend of best portions of each culture. The intellectual ability and language skills are adequately enhance by the readily available reading materials inform of books and newspapers. Urban centers are also the main consumers of agricultural products. The rich supply of food enable the urban families to feed their children with a balanced diet require to achieve healthy growth (Meeker, 2012). Children from poor families enjoy limited resources necessary for holistic development. Most of the children rely on public facilities such as school that may not offer adequate support and environment. Effects of poverty on childhood development are equally felt in both rural and urban setting. Change of environment Job transfers of the parents, improved economic status, and family separation are among the leading causes of change of residential places. Change of a home environment has a pool of consequences to the emotional, physical and health status of a child. To regain the normal functioning status it depends on how a child adapts to the new environment. For a child who is schooling it is not strange that he or she is affected in terms of the need to make new friends and appropriately adjust to the learning schedules of the new school (Barrett, 2002). A struggle to fit in the new learning system can scale down the academic performance of the child. Completion can be too high to cope with as compared to the initial of the child. Lack of motivation and parental support can alter the attitude of the child toward education. Absence of a favorable surrounding in the new environment can limit one or more development aspects of a child and on a more advanced scale the achievements made by the child. Cross cultural differences in child development The language and cognitive abilities of a child are determined by the level of interaction with the parents or guardians.to build strong child parent relationship language is used to communicate and enhance understanding. In most cultures, the duty to bring up children is primarily left to the mother with little involvement of the father. The emphasis placed on intellectual development of a child differs from one culture to another. For example, children from European American origin express high levels of intellectual and cognitive ability than their counterparts from Mexican American origin. The difference is brought about by value placed on the reading culture. Parenting styles play a sensitive role in child development in a variety of ways. Parents make the rules that govern the behaviours and conduct of children in the family. Lenient parents have a lot of freedom given to children. Since learning here is by experience rather than by rules, a child is exposed to different taste of outcomes. The things learnt may compromise or enhance development depending on how behaviours are shaped. Conclusion Conclusively, the cognitive ability, the language skills, the emotional health, and the physical wellbeing are the factors that sum up a child’s development. Inappropriate acquisition of any of these elements will definitely amount to poor development of personal and social development. The home environment, the school, the neighbourhood, and the socioeconomic status present different factors that dictate the course of development. Change in the school and home environment will affect the child’s level of interaction and achievement through the degree of adaptability attained. Parents play a relevant role through providing a warm and orderly environment for the development of the child. The rules, family relations, and communication are the responsibilities of the parents owed to children. Therefore, an excellent combination of factors well laced up by order and moderation will curve out the diet for impressive development. 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