Giving children more freedom can improve family wellbeing, says study
Thursday, August 5, 2021 IST
The study found that parents who gave their children more autonomy discovered they did better emotionally, their own needs were fulfilled to a greater extent, and the family itself was more emotionally bonded.
Parenting is not an easy task, and it was made all the more difficult by the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic. Parents had to manage their work from home, and children had to learn to get used to their online study routine. While this may have naturally led to a lot of initial stress and chaos, a lot of families managed to stay on track and even focus on the well-being of all members.
According to Psychology Today, a recent study, which will be published this year in the Child Development journal, families that gave children autonomy (more freedom to make their own choices) were associated with improved well-being for everyone — parents and children alike — during the pandemic.
The study found that parents who gave their children more autonomy discovered they did better emotionally, their own needs were fulfilled to a greater extent, and the family itself was more emotionally bonded. In fact, it was particularly found that parenting involving “choice within certain limits seemed to be optimal” during this time.
According to the Psychology Today report, the study included 496 school-age children (between 6 and 19 years) in Germany, from March to April of 2020. Their parents reported on their parenting practices every day over the course of the study period.
And while there is a lot of pressure right now on parents to manage office and work, and give time to their kids, keep them productively engaged and make sure they focus on their online classes, this study suggests that they let go a little and allow the children to make a few choices, so as to feel less stressed. Doing it can prove to be effective for the well-being of both parents and kids.
Related Topics
Trending News & Articles
ALMATY: Hour upon hour, day upon day, Omir Bekali and other detainees in far western China's new indoctrination camps had to disavow the...
Recently posted . 217K views . 1 min read
If you have payed attention to the belly buttons of people on the beach or the members of your family, you have probably noticed that they have different shapes and...
Recently posted . 10K views . 2 min read
The Langya henipavirus has a place with a similar group of infections, including Nipah, which is known to kill up to 3/4 of people in extreme cases.
Recently posted . 6K views . 1 min read
Queen's death: The eldest of her four children, Charles, Prince of Wales, who at 73 was the oldest heir apparent in British history, became king immediately...
Recently posted . 5K views . 1 min read
More in Global
MUMBAI: The most popular route to Australia—the subclass 457 visa category for skilled overseas workers— has been abolished by the Au...
Recently posted. 879 views . 1 min read
Ernest Hemingway had once rocked the world of literature with his writing style. Writing in a minimal and trite language, this colorful author could present his sto...
Recently posted. 1K views . 2 min read
AMID ALL THE devastation caused by Australia’s bushfires, an unlikely hero has emerged: the wombat. Quite generously, wombats have reportedly been allowing ot...
Recently posted. 1K views . 3 min read
Recently posted . 983 views
Recently posted . 1K views
Recently posted . 2K views
Recently posted . 2K views
Recently posted . 4K views . 52 min read
Recently posted . 4K views . 99 min read
The hospital staff named the bird Vinny after Vindaloo curry
Recently posted. 753 views . 0 min read
A technical glitch was found to have compromised accounts and personal information of over 500,000 of Google users.
Recently posted. 899 views . 1 min read