Children’s development involves learning and socialization, which the family primarily influences. The family is considered a child’s primary and first social group and aids the child in its childhood development stages. The essay discusses childhood development with a focus on the role of the family in the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development of a child (Roostin, 2018:1).
Single-headed families and their influence on the young children
Single-headed families influence young children to be financially independent and supportive of others. Children from single-headed families whom single mothers in south Africa often head tend to perceive their mothers as using more autonomy supportive than psychologically controlling parenting practices (Roman, 2011:577). Single mothers are portrayed as immoral and deviant compared to other types of mothers and are often associated with creating unstable families. Children from single-headed households headed by mothers often report increased psychological well-being, are competent, and are generally well adjusted (Roman, 2011:583). Single-headed households, which mothers often lead, allow children to participate actively in the decision-making process with social, emotional, mental, and cognitive support that creates autonomy for the child. For example, single-headed households are often at a lower economic level. Hence, children are influenced by their parents to work harder and acquire wealth and prestige as a measure of social acceptance.
However, single-headed families influence young children to tend to have more juvenile behavior due to unstructured family life. Single-headed households are economically vulnerable; hence, the parent is likelier to work longer hours, leaving the child or children without adult supervision or influence. At the same time, there is a stigmatization of single-headed households in South Africa, which results in children being labeled as difficult and bound for juvenile behavior (Bhengu, 2016:19). The lack of healthy parent control in single-headed households means that children are left alone for long periods resulting in uncontrolled behaviors that adversely affect their development. Furthermore, children who grow up with married parents are portrayed as having better life outcomes than children from single-headed households; children from single-headed households are labeled as Other (Lut et al., 2021:1). The stigma associated with single-headed households means that the child or children are labeled negatively by society, which influences the children to act out and rebel against the labeling.
In South Africa, the average young child is raised in a single-headed family. A study carried out by Davids et al. in south Africa examining if and how family structure influences and affects children note that there is a focus on economic status over the emotional, mental, physical, and cognitive development of the children (2013:7). Young children from single headed family are discouraged from forming social relationships and instead are socialized to aspire for wealth as a life goal neglecting their emotional, mental, physical and cognitive development. At the same time, young children are influenced by conformity with a need for approval by others (Davids et al., 2013:7). The result is a singular focus on extrinsic life goals with underdevelopment of intricate life factors. Single-headed families use wealth as a measure of acceptance by society due to a lack of fostering healthy social relationships during childhood.
Case study
Social and emotional development
First, Mary Peterson and the children need to attend a mental health clinic in one of the government hospitals as the services are free and accessible. The family is dealing with emotional and mental health issues which Lynn’s injuries have exacerbated. Pam and Brian feel neglected by the parents as the father has left, and the mother is focused on Lynn. Moreover, as Mary is depressed due to the family situation, she must first take care of her mental health to offer support to her children. One of the ways that children can attain social and emotional development is by starting to foster a relationship between them. As a parent, it is Mary’s responsibility to create a supportive environment that can promote relationship building and a sense of community within the family. For one, she can enlist the help of Pam and Brian in taking care of Lynn, which will teach the children the nature of nurturing and being responsive to their emotions while building a relationship between them.
Physical development
The physical development of children is linked to their emotional and cognitive states. For Mary, her children are under a lot of mental and emotional stress. One of the ways that Mary can help her children physically is by going for short walks that would encourage the children to engage with her. The parent can liaise with the school to ensure that the children engage in physical activity, aiding their emotional and mental states. Pam and Brian are in their adolescent stage. Hence Mary plays an important and supportive role in guiding the children about their body changes and the changes occurring in their bodies. At the same time, the physical changes experienced by adolescents tend to impact their emotions and mental health, which demands Mary or any other supportive structure to guide the children in their physical development changes.
Cognitive development
The reasoning and thinking of the children have been affected by the trauma they are facing as a family. The children’s abstract thinking capacity, formation of new ideas, consideration of various points of view, and awareness of their act of thought processes have been highly diminished considering what the family is undergoing. Hence to overcome the challenge of the children not cognitively developing, the family needs to encourage them to share their thoughts. For instance, Pam is moody and withdrawn, which could be due to the family situation. Therefore, Mary needs to encourage Pam to share her thoughts and feelings constructively, which will aid Pam in understanding herself and the family situation. Also, there is a need for the children to set goals in order not to feel helpless within the family situation. The act will also allow them to think independently and develop their ideas while challenging them to think about future possibilities.
Conclusion
There is a rise in single-headed households in South Africa, mostly headed by single mothers. The rise has been attributed to changing cultural perspectives as modernization has erased the family unit’s cultural foundation. Also, the ideology of who and what consists of the family has undergone a radical change, yet the notion that the traditional family unit is the only moral and ethical family unit remains, which leads to the stigmatization and stereotyping of single-headed households. There is an urgent need for support mechanisms to be put in place to help single-headed household families from an economic and social perspective. The parent in a single-headed household is under many stressors as the primary caregiver and hence cannot accord the child or children with all the emotional, social, physical, and cognitive support needed for child development.
Reference
Bhengu, N.P., 2016. The experiences of teenage learners from single-parent households. (University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Davids, E.L. and Roman, N.V., 2013. Does family structure matter? Comparing the life goals and aspirations of learners in secondary schools. South African Journal of Education, 33(3).
Lut, I., Woodman, J., Armitage, A., Ingram, E., Harron, K., and Hardelid, P., 2021. Health outcomes, healthcare use, and development in children born into or growing up in single-parent households: a systematic review study protocol. BMJ open, 11(2), p.e043361.
Roman, N.V., 2011. Maternal parenting in single and two-parent families in South Africa from a child’s perspective. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 39(5), pp.577-585.
Roostin, E., 2018. Family influence on the development of children. PrimaryEdu: Journal of Primary Education, 2(1), pp.1-12.
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