How Does The Family Climate Influence Children’s Education?
Raising children is not an easy task. Little ones are developing human beings who gradually learn, with the help of their parents, to regulate their emotions and control their behavior. Parents may be in this process not knowing what to do, tiredor stressedby other factors. As a result, they can become elated and lose patience, especially when tantrums or other behavior considered inappropriate appear. All of this influences the family atmosphere.
The family atmosphere is fundamental in the education of children. However, although its effect is known, more attention has traditionally been paid to other aspects, such as the ways in which parents can impose limits on their children and make them comply with certain norms. Thus, in this article, we are going to talk precisely about this influence that has been less studied and considered: the one that the family climate exerts on the little ones.
What is the family atmosphere?
To better understand how the family climate influences children’s education, the first step is to identify exactly what we are referring to when we use this term. It is the well-being or discomfort that results from the interaction between different family members.
These interactions are very varied. They range from punishments, reprimands or limits to help, qualifications or reinforcements. That is, in general, we talk about interaction behaviors. As is easy to imagine, certain behaviors can have an effect on other family members.
In this way, children influence parents and vice versa. As for the education of children, the family environment can influence the children’s sense of self-efficacy, their involvement and motivation, their academic achievements and behaviors to adopt as habits or routines.
When is there a negative family atmosphere?
This influence can be positive or negative. Thus, we speak of a negative family climate when these interactions favor self-centered, violent, disruptive or intolerant behavior in family members, in a way that interferes with their well-being.
In fact, when this happens, we find low cohesion among family members and a high number of conflicts. As is easy to imagine, a source of stress arises that brings emotional discomfort to children and parents. But not only that, it can also cause behavioral problems in children, so it’s a clear risk factor for everyone’s well-being.
What makes this kind of family atmosphere possible? There are certain parental habits that favor you. In fact, it has been found that having excessive authority, repeatedly, uniquely and disproportionately using punishment against children, or lack of clear rules can cause a negative family environment to develop.
When is there a positive family atmosphere?
Just as the family atmosphere can be negative, it can also be positive. This occurs when parents set clear rules, use rest time and reinforcements more often than punishment, and try to reason with their children, listen to them, praise them and support those positive behaviors they want the child to assimilate as habits. .
In this way, pro-social behaviors and attitudes of interest, respect, help, participation, cooperation and flexibility appear. Children have greater autonomy, self-esteem, initiative and confidence, so that they develop in a more stable and competent way, both socially and physically, intellectually, behaviorally and emotionally.
In short, the family environment is one of the variables that can add or subtract the most in children’s education. The development and encouragement of adequate relationships and family ties is an essential part for children to assimilate patterns of interaction that, in the future, favor the social and security relationships that they will develop in the social environment.
Images courtesy of Kevin Delvecchio, Juan Mark Kuzniet and Sebastian León Prado.
