UNIT 19 ROLE OF PARENTS

Introduction to Value Education

Impact of Rapid Development:

• Scientific and Technological Growth: Leads to industrialization and rapid societal changes.
• Value Crisis: Increased disputes, crimes, and violence in society.
• Media Influence: Entertainment often glamorizes violence and criminals.
• Societal Disintegration: The erosion of traditional values is affecting families and communities.

Need for Action:

• Deterioration of Behavioral Standards: Concerns about the decline in behavioral norms.
• Root Causes: Changes in attitudes, beliefs, and social values contribute to this deterioration.
• Role of Individuals: While individuals may feel helpless, addressing these issues is crucial for societal improvement.

Objectives

After completing this unit, you should be able to:

1. Identify the Role of Parents in Value Education:

   • Understand how parents influence the moral and value development of their children.

2. Discuss Essential Guidelines for Helping Children:

   • Learn guidelines that assist parents in providing effective value education.

3. Analyze Essential Values for a Family:

   • Recognize and evaluate important values that should be nurtured within a family setting.

4. Describe the Role of Parents in Value Education:

• Explain the specific ways parents contribute to the moral and ethical growth of their children.

Identification of Values in a Family

Role of the Family:

• First Institution of Education: Teaches skills, attitudes, and values.
• Daily Interaction: Forms habits contributing to personality development.

Historical Influence:

• Religion: Previously a major source of values through holy books.
• Dilemma in Pluralistic Society: Multiple religious texts can create confusion about which values to follow.

Values in a Democratic Society:

• National Goals: Reflected in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.
  • Justice - Social, economic, and political.
  • Liberty - Thought, expression, belief, faith, and worship.
  • Equality - Status and opportunity.
  • Fraternity - Dignity of the individual, unity, and integrity of the nation.

Factors Influencing Value Identification:

1. Culture
2. Traditions
3. Social Environment

Classification of Values:

• Types: Physical, social, economic, intellectual, moral, aesthetic, cultural, and spiritual.
• Examples:
  • Gandhiji's Values: Truth and Non-violence.
  • Common Values: Cleanliness, truth, hard work, equality, cooperation, righteous conduct, peace, love.

Activity:

• Observation: Watch a family for three days to identify values reflected in their activities.

Educational Perspective:

• Concept of Good Life: Education should focus on love for life and concern for suffering.
• Role of Parents: Crucial in providing character training and fostering values.

Process of Moral Value Development

1. Understanding Moral Development:

• Key Focus: Moral development is crucial for children. It involves understanding justice, equality, authority, and responsibility.

2. Piaget’s Study:

• Observation: Moral judgment grows with age.
• Areas Studied: Justice, equality, authority, and responsibility.

3. Gupta K.M.’s Four Stages of Moral Development:

3.1 Stage I: Immediate Consequences

• Description: Focus on understanding the immediate outcomes of their behavior.
• Parental Role: Help children understand the consequences of their actions.

3.2 Stage II: Partial Evaluation

• Description: Children evaluate incidents from a limited perspective.
• Parental Role: Discuss and explore the consequences from multiple viewpoints.

3.3 Stage III: Full Evaluation

• Description: Children provide reasoning for their behavior.
• Parental Role: Guide children to align their reasoning with reality.

3.4 Stage IV: Generalized Comments

• Description: Children seek feedback to contribute to family and societal welfare.
• Parental Role: Offer suggestions to navigate peer influence and uphold family values.

Parents’ Involvement in Value Education

1. Early Value Transmission:

• Before Schooling: Parents, grandparents, and close relatives play a key role in value education.
• Initial Values:
  • Orderliness
  • Respect for elders
  • Time management
  • Non-violence (e.g., not destroying property)

2. Evolution of Values:

• Adolescence:
  • Questioning and reshaping of values.
  • Integration of new values based on life experiences.
• Self-Assessment:
  • Clarification of personal values.

3. Stages of Value Development (Kohlberg, 1968):

• Pre-Conventional Stage (0.7 years):
  • Actions based on parental instructions or rewards.
• Conventional Stage (7-10 years):
  • Actions influenced by peer, parental, and societal expectations.
  • Compliance with laws and rules.
• Post-Conventional Stage (18+ years):
  • Actions driven by a sense of justice and humanity.

4. Steps in Value Development:

• Review Alternatives: Consider different options.
• Consider Consequences: Evaluate potential outcomes.
• Choose Freely: Make an informed decision.
• Public Confirmation: Express and uphold values openly.
• Act on Beliefs: Implement values in actions.
• Cherish Beliefs: Value and appreciate personal beliefs.
• Consistent Behavior: Exhibit consistent value-driven actions.

5. Becoming Value-Driven Adults:

• Exploration: Try out values in real-life situations.
• Reflection: Think, feel, and clarify personal values.
• Adaptation: Be open to changing and re-evaluating values.

Examples of Value Development

1. Work Ethics

• Core Values: Commitment, punctuality, fairness, sincerity, sharing, helping, independence, responsibility, humility, pride.
• Parental Involvement:
  • Ensure work is completed on time.
  • Encourage independent work.
  • Foster responsibility for tasks.
  • Emphasize neatness, handwriting, and creativity.
  • Promote sharing of knowledge.
  • Teach consequences of actions.
  • Balance help with independence.
  • Instill the importance of commitments and obligations.

2. Honesty

• Core Values: Truthfulness, integrity.
• Parental Involvement:
  • Model honesty in actions and words.
  • Avoid praising dishonest behaviors.
  • Discourage materialism and bribery.
  • Avoid dishonest acts (e.g., stealing office supplies).
  • Emphasize the impact of dishonesty on relationships.
  • Encourage seeing failure as a growth opportunity.

3. Social Justice

• Core Values: Respect, empathy, advocacy.
• Parental Involvement:
  • Show respect to all individuals, including domestic help.
  • Expose children to societal issues through visits and interactions.
  • Encourage standing up against injustice.
  • Volunteer in school and community to demonstrate civic responsibility.

4. Orderliness/Cleanliness

• Core Values: Organization, hygiene.
• Parental Involvement:
  • Maintain an orderly environment at home.
  • Encourage children to keep their spaces tidy and use waste bins.

5. Gender Issues

• Core Values: Equality, shared responsibility.
• Parental Involvement:
  • Share household responsibilities without gender bias.
  • Avoid differentiating between children based on gender.
  • Set high moral standards and lead by example.

6. Projects for Children by Teachers/Parents

• Community Involvement:
  • Signature campaigns for community problems.
  • Camping and trekking activities.
  • Historical projects interviewing community elders.
  • School paper recycling center.
  • After-school recreation programs.
• Educational Activities:
  • Value clarification workshops for students and parents.
  • Environment and history workshops.
  • Aesthetic projects like garden layout and furniture design.
  • Development of learning centers.
  • Remedial and special education programs.
• Parent Workshops:
  • Topics like failure, communication, money values, trust, value clarification, choice making, goal setting, and meeting children’s needs.

7. Discipline and Development

• Rewards and Punishments:
• Use rewards for positive behavior and maintain relationships.
• Avoid harsh punishments; instead, use love and understanding as advocated by Gandhiji.
• Explain rewards and punishments to ensure they are effective tools for character development.

Creating a Value-Oriented Environment

1. Responsibilities of Parents

• Core Idea: Parents must create a value-oriented environment at home. This involves ensuring that each family member performs their duties well and addresses conflicts effectively.
• Challenges: Different opinions on task execution can lead to conflicts. There is no single best way to resolve these conflicts.

2. Family Roles and Relationships

• Family Dynamics:
  • Typical roles: Father, mother, son, daughter, etc.
  • Extended roles: Grandparents, in-laws, uncles, aunts, etc.
• Impact: The quality of relationships affects the family environment and the values upheld.

3. Attitudes and Behavior

• Influence: The family's attitude towards life affects daily functioning and values.
• Reality Perception: How right or wrong is determined based on attitudes and interactions.
• Love-Hate Dynamics: Relationships influenced by emotional attitudes (love, hate) and parents’ role in maintaining a positive attitude.

4. Family Rules and Customs

• Formation of Rules:
  • Rules are based on customs and traditions.
  • Younger members must adhere to these rules.
  • Violations are taken seriously, and sanctions are imposed.
• Significance: Reinforcement of customs and traditions forms the foundation of values.

5. Understanding Your Child

• Unique Traits: Each child is unique in preferences, responses, and behavior.
• Observation: Children observe and respond based on experiences within the family.
• Parental Guidance: Understanding a child's unique traits helps in guiding behavior and creating a supportive environment.

Role of Parents in Nurturing Values

1. Importance of Parental Role

• Core Idea: Parents are crucial in a child's upbringing, involving time, patience, and sacrifice.
• Impact: Strong family bonds and parental support are essential for a value-based society.

2. Guidelines for Parents

1. Be a Role Model:

   • Exhibit behaviors you want your child to emulate.
   • Sign: 🚀 "Lead by Example"

2. Unified Approach:

   • Parents should agree on rules and consistently apply them.
   • Flowchart: Consistent Parenting

3. Consistency:

   • Avoid changing rules based on mood.
   • Relational Diagram: Consistent Parenting

4. Quality Time:

   • Spend time with children through activities like outings and games.
   • Sign: 🏞️ "Quality Time"

5. Understand Individual Needs:

   • Observe and understand each child’s unique needs and behaviors.
   • Diagram: Understanding Needs

6. Avoid Comparisons:

   • Praise each child individually, avoiding comparisons that lead to jealousy.
   • Sign: 🚫 "No Comparisons"

7. Cultural Awareness:

   • Engage in cultural and national celebrations to teach heritage.
   • Sign: 🎉 "Cultural Awareness"

8. Value Judgment:

   • Help children differentiate between right and wrong.
   • Sign: ⚖️ "Value Judgment"

9. Balanced Schedule:

   • Encourage a balanced schedule of study, play, and recreation.
   • Flowchart: Balanced Schedule

10. Wholesome Media:

    • Monitor TV and video content for age-appropriateness.
    • Sign: 📺 "Wholesome Media"

11. Encourage Reading:

    • Select suitable books and encourage staying updated with current events.
    • Sign: 📚 "Encourage Reading"

12. Household Chores:

    • Involve children in household chores and responsibilities.
    • Diagram: Chores Involvement

13. Avoid Personal Ambitions:

    • Don’t impose personal unfulfilled ambitions on children.
    • Sign: 🚫 "No Pressure"

14. Realistic Expectations:

    • Set expectations based on the child’s ability.
    • Sign: 🎯 "Realistic Expectations"

15. Career Choice:

    • Let children choose their career with guidance and discussion.
    • Sign: 💼 "Career Guidance"

16. Monitor Influences:

    • Watch for peer pressure and potential substance abuse.
    • Sign: 🚨 "Monitor Influences"

17. Gradual Independence:

    • Allow young adults to make their own decisions, offering guidance as needed.
    • Sign: 🕊️ "Gradual Independence"

18. Life Partner Choice:

    • Support and advise on choosing a life partner when the time comes.
    • Sign: 💍 "Life Partner Guidance"