Parent-child relationship is key to a persons character. Discuss.

A childs upbringing molds his character, influencing his behavior and actions in the future. Hence parent-child relationship is a great influence to a persons character, with the parents being the childs earliest and primary educators. A close and knitted relationship with the child will also enables parents to understand their child better and help them to develop their moral compasses. However, it is irrefutable that the environment shapes a persons character as well. The beliefs and principles held by a person is also key in determining his character and behavior. Parents are childrens earliest and primary educators, inculcating moral values in them that will mold the childs character and behavior. Born into this world, a child is akin to a blank slate, with little knowledge and the mechanism of life and how to behave. Parents are the key figures in charge of adding strokes and colours onto the blank slate, instilling values and morals in the child, eventually building up the behavioural and ethical construct of the child. Therefore the childs behavior will be a reflection of his parents teachings. Parents who act like disciplinarians that strictly reprimand their child for any wrongdoings will tend to have children who are more principled as the child is taught from young to strictly discern right from wrong. Conversely parents who slacken their rein on children may tend to have children that are more defiant in nature. For instance if a parent witnesses his child bullying another and indulges in his wayward behavior without reprimanding the child, the childs moral compass would be skewed as he believes that bullying is acceptable. Hence parent-child relationship is key to a persons character. The intimacy between a parent and his child also plays a part in shaping the childs character. With a close and knitted relationship, there will be more frequent interaction between the parent and the child, parents would thus better understand the childs thoughts and problems, enabling parents to guide the child in the right direction with the proper emotional support given. The child would also be more likely to share their troubles and seek the advice of the parents when they are feeling lost and low, enabling the parents to better counsel the child and help him to overcome difficulties, influencing the childs behavior and character in a positive manner. On the other hand, if a parent does not interact with the child frequently, the child tends to keep the troubles and thought to himself and may use other inappropriate means to vent their emotions, such as smoking, as the child does not feel comfortable to confide in his parents. Parents will also have little clue on the childs behavior and actions as they do not interact frequently, which may lead to the compounding of bad behavior. We must also be cognizant that the environment shapes a childs character and behavior as well. The friends they make at school, what they read on the Internet and watch on television influence their actions and behavior too. People are easily influenced by what they read, see or hear, everything they experience affects who they turn out to be. For instance, when a person is constantly exposed to violent and gory television shows every day, it is more likely for him to develop violent tendencies as he mimics what he sees on television. The environment in which a person lives in thus plays a key role in influencing a persons behavior and character. Lastly, the beliefs and principles held by a person is also key in shaping a persons character. As a person grows and matures, he will have his own independent thinking and a set of principles formed on the basis from what he is taught since young. Regardless of the influence from peers or teachings by elders, there will be a firm set of principles and beliefs that a person adheres to, which closely

guides his actions and thus, shapes his character. One that believes that justice prevails in this world will tend to be more righteous and law abiding in nature. Regardless of temptations, the firm set of principles and beliefs will prevent him from straying off the path. Therefore, the beliefs and principles held by a person is fundamental in shaping a persons character. In conclusion, parent-child relationship is key to a persons character as parents are childrens earliest and primary educators and the intimacy of the relationship influences the childs character development as well. However, there are other factors such as environmental influences and the principles and beliefs that a person holds dearly to that molds and shapes his character as well. Alethea Tan