The rapid changes in society have made traditional parental responsibilities a divisive topic. The discussion over whether parental roles should shift has also been sparked by changes in gender roles. They have understood and accepted their parental responsibilities without complaint since the beginning of time. Parents have always been tasked with providing for the basic requirements of their children as well as for their education, support, and protection. These positions are being contested by a segment of the community who want them to be given to others due to the complexity of today's society. However, the future society is doomed if the conventional parental roles are altered. The paper discusses whether or not parental roles should be changed. Issues of biological needs, support and motivation, child protection and provisional environment are discussed.
Meeting Biological Needs of Children and Protecting the Child
Meeting the biological needs of the child and protection is a role that should not be changed. Traditionally, it has been known that the parent is responsible for providing physical care to the child. These biological needs include good lighting, recreation time, proper food, sleep and fresh air among others. If such a role is changed and given to other parties such as the community, these biological needs would be offered but of poor quality. For instance, imagine the biological needs of children being met by teachers at schools. Due to the large number of children they have to provide with biological needs, you would find that the quality of food would greatly be affected as well as sanitation issues. However, they would greatly benefit from recreation time due to their large numbers. A child is likely to enjoy more and learn when playing with other children compared to when they are playing alone. It is the duty of the parent to ensure that protect their children and warn them about what is safe and what is not before they explore certain things. The parent is responsible for teaching the child the difference between right and wrong and protecting them from the dangers they may be vulnerable to. This role of the parent is quite fundamental and should not be changed. The parent is the first friend to a child and because they are in contact on a daily basis, they are in the best position of offering the advice as to what is dangerous and what is safe. Teachers and other stakeholders should however come in and help the parents in this role. Teachers should take their time to teach children issues of ethics and safe company to keep. In church, children should also be taught about staying away of danger at all times. This will ensure that parents are not left with the sole responsibility of offering a safe environment for their children.
Provision of an Optimal Environment
Provision of an optimal environment as a traditional parental environment should be shared rather than being changed. Home should be where a child feels safe and is offered a supportive environment that helps them grow healthily. Changing such a role of the parent would be detrimental to the development and growth of the child. Children are not in a position to offer themselves an optimal environment. Teachers, on the other hand, can offer an environment optimal for the development and growth of a child. However, this is limited as it can only be done during school hours after which the child has to go home. In addition, a teacher has limited powers to influence a child. It is only the parents who can offer a child an unlimited consistent positive and tolerant atmosphere, conditions for positive change, opportunities to experiment and explore the environment and adequate home environment. Teachers, the church and other stakeholders in the society can offer an environment but it cannot be as optimal as that provided by the parents. Hence, these other stakeholders should play a role in providing an optimal by establishing appropriate structure that ensure a child is in an environment that facilitates their optimal development.
Teaching and Educating the Child
Teaching and education of a child is fundamental parental role that cannot be delegated to other stakeholders. The law requires that a parent teaches and educates his children with the aim of preparing the for the future and developing their character. This indicates that the role of a parent is not only limited to providing, security, shelter and food but also extends to making it possible for a child to read, write and talk. To ensure that all these happen, the parent must take the children to school and be the observer and instructor of the children. Such a role should not be changed but instead more support should be sourced to support the parent. Support can be achieved though government initiatives of providing quality education that nurtures them to read and write and become responsible members of the community. The major task should however still remain with the parents. They should be the role models and teach their children what it means to be a man or a woman. Parents are also in the best position to integrate their children into the community so as to mature as adapted adults. Parents are also best suited to develop the coping skills of a child and helping them become independent through carrying out duties together. Other stakeholders such as the church can also come in to provide education to the child. Children can be taught how to read and develop other important skills. However, the time they spend in church is only a few hours in a whole week. It is only parents who have the understanding and patience to pay the fee of a child and at the same time teach them how to become useful members of the society by teaching them various values and skills.
Conclusion
Traditional parental roles should not be changed. All parental roles ranging from support and motivation, provision of biological needs, teaching and education, security and offering an optimal environment are all fundamental with the parent being in the best position to provide them. Despite the society experiencing random changes, changing the roles of the parents would bring up a generation without any morals or care for others. Parents would become idle as their core responsibilities would have been taken away from them. Other stakeholders such as churches and teachers should come in and help parents but not change their roles. One head has always been better than one. If teachers, the church and parents could share in the responsibilities of the parents, we would bring up one of the most successful and vibrant generations of all time.
