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1 .A popular and controversial topic in any discussion of raising children is th

ID: 3495933 • Letter: 1

Question

1 .A popular and controversial topic in any discussion of raising children is the effect of day care on a child's development. Such discussions can become quite heated, with people holding strong views on both sides of the debate. On the basis of what you have read in this chapter, what light could you shed on this controversial topic?

2. You may be planning to have a family one day, if you haven't already started one. For most people this is quite a responsibility and a lot of work. Unlike many other areas in life, no formal training is available or required for the job of parent. You, however, are fortunate because you are taking an introductory psychology and have learned a few things about child development. What advice would you give to people who are planning to have a family?

Explanation / Answer

Every parent wants the 'best' for their child. They would go to any extent to give their child the best. In order to provide a substantial lifestyle for their children, both the mother and father of the child are mostly working. Due to the demanding work hours, it is difficult for parents to spend time with their child after school hours and they may not have any help from the immediate family to help them out with an emergency situation. This is when parents decide on enrolling their children in a day care. Day care has it's both advantages as well as disadvantages.

The biggest advantage about day care is that there is someone out there to help parents take care of their children and be responsive to their needs when the parents are not available to do so. Day care is of a great help to working parents. However, the major disadvantage of day care is, it can negatively affect the child's development. A child's social skills, cognitive development like memory, thinking, perception, creativity, may be hampered due to low quality of care provided at the day care.

However, it indeed needs no formal training to be a parent. You only learn from trial and error. The only advice I can give, as I am tad bit aware of psychology, thanks to my introductory classes in psychology, is that day care is not a bad or a wrong choice to make, however, it is important to choose the right day care for your child. A day care which provides good quality care to your child in your absence will work perfectly fine. But again, day care alone is not enough in the development of your child. As a parent you need to take an active interest in the child's learning and performing. Fun activities can be arranged at home on the weekend to test the child's developmental abilities. Day care is a very good option provided they are of the highest quality. They help in developing a child's communication skills, vocabulary, social skills, and also help with their cognitive development.