The Family And Parental Responsibilities Flashcards
Definition of Role
A role is defined as the ‘proper or customary function’
eg mum, dad, aunt, sister
Definition of responsibility
A responsibility is defined as a duty which is carried out as a part of a role
What is one of the most important responsibilities of a family and why ?
One of the most important responsibilities is to provide for a child’s needs as they are unable to care for themselves
Needs of a child/baby (12)
- Food and drink
- Warmth and clothing
- Shelter
- love and companionship
- A secure environment
- Sleep
- Routine
- Attention
- Protection and support
- Clothes, toys, entertainment
- Boundaries
- Education
Responsibilities of the mother
- Feeding
- looking after the house and children
- Support and discipline
- cooking
Fathers responsibilities
- Provide for the family
- Help mum with the baby
- Work
- Set example
Grandparents responsibilities
- babysitting
- supporting the parents
- protection
- love/care
- storytelling
Siblings responsibilities
- play
- company
- advice
- Sharing
What does it mean by shared roles
In some families, mum and dad don’t have distinct roles. Both parents may have a job and both parents contribute to the family finances and they share the household jobs and child care.
Advantages of shared roles
- fathers may have a closer relationship with their children
- mothers may have more time to enjoy their children and to follow other interests
- children benefit from greater variety
- the quality of the marriage improves
What is meant by role reversal
Role reversal is when the father cares for the home and children while the mother earns the money
How do parents influence the development of a child
Physical- feeding the baby a balanced diet, bathe the baby
Intellectual - play with the child , read to them to develop vocabulary
Emotional - cuddling, showing affection
Social - take them to the park/soft play, sign them up for clubs
How do siblings influence the development of a child
Physical - take them for walks/exercise, play sports like football
Intellectual - teaching them new games + skills, help with homework
Emotional - being a good role model, give hugs
Social - chatting, gossiping, discussing problems, sharing toys
How do grandparents influence the development of a child
Physical - can play outside with them, can ensure child gets a healthy balanced diet
Intellectual - can share stories with the child about family history, traditions and life, teach them skills like baking, sewing ect
Emotional - provide extra support and guidance when parents are busy, mentoring the child
Social - children learn to talk to adults, grandparents set good examples and teach manners
Why do people have children
- Share with partner
- they love babies
- they want company as they grow older
- to give/receive unconditional love
- to give meaning to their life
- accident
- to continue family name
Factors that affect the decision to have a baby
- is there space for a baby
- do they have enough support to raise a child
- finicial stability
- strong relationship
- giving up social life
- house/stable/safe place to stay
- maturity levels
Features of a stable relationship
- Respect and love for each other
- compromising
- total commitment to each other
- honesty
- trusting each other
- accept each other for who they are
- communications
What do you need money for, for a new baby
- Blankets
- monitors
- bouncer
- breast pump
- clothes
- food/formulas
- prams/ car seats
- nappies
- wipes
- toys
- pram
- cot
- steriliser
- bigger car
How will having children affect your career
- maternity leave
- time off work
- missing out on quality time with the child
- might not be able to perform as well at work due to tiredness
- having to take on multiple jobs possibly
Where can you get support
- Community groups/ charities (sure start)
-parent toddler groups - apps/ online
- your parents
- your friends
- your partner
- midwives
- GP
- parents advice centre
- mum classes
Parental age
- Parents come in a wide age range. Some people choose to have children young as they think they will have more energy to work with them whilst others choose to pursue a career first.
- There is no right or wrong way to raise children
Why is it undesirable for teenagers to raise children
- This is because they are still only children themselves and their bodies may not have developed properly or they might have not finished their education
- They also do not have as much life experience as those older than them so may not be mature enough to cope with the changes of being a parent will bring
How does culture affect having a baby
- Can be good as it creates diversity but can also cause problems if people disagree about decisions about the child
- They may attend a certain church
- family background and traditions
- religion
- schooling
- food
- discipline
Benefits of Family Planning
- You have control over the size of the family and can plan the best time, can discuss number of kids wanted
- can use contraceptives to avoid an unplanned pregnancy, can be more relaxed with each other plan number of kids and gaps between them
- can plan for the cost of the baby and financial implications, have time to save money, have time to find out about benefits available and can decide how to cope with the extra cost
- ## can prepare for pregnancy like stop smoking and limit alcohol to increase sperm count, eat a balanced diet, include folic acid, take regular exercise, have GP check up e.g. immunity to rubella and birth plan
