Table of contents:
- Children have imitated adult behavior from infancy
- What happens when children see their parents fighting physically
- How to set examples of good behavior for children?
"Children see, children do" are the last words of a video published by childfriendly.org.au. The video captures the movements of the child and parent pair. All the children in the video imitate whatever the adult they look up to does. Starting from smoking, making phone calls while walking, to engaging in domestic violence. However, at the end of the video, you can see adults and children helping someone pick up other people's groceries that have fallen on the road. There is an abstract feeling that arises, between sadness and emotion, seeing children actually imitating all the behaviors of their role models. But is it true that what parents do can influence children's behavior?
Children have imitated adult behavior from infancy
Children start imitating adults and even babies. A baby looks at the facial expressions of its parents in order to later learn to show those expressions, according to G. Gergely and J. S. Watson. This is certainly useful for their future in socializing, because what is shown by children is a form of learning outcomes from what their parents teach.
Parents who exhibit antisocial behavior will create children with antisocial behavior as well, according to researchers from the University of Chicago. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University also participated in corroborating the results of previous research. Research conducted by Dogan, Conger, Kim, and Masyn concluded that antisocial behavior in children arises from observations and interpretations of parental behavior. Children see what their parents show in their behavior and they imitate it, because according to children this is a normal thing in social life outside the home. This effect occurs stably, and this is a problem, especially in adolescents, as evidenced in 12 graders who have actually maintained this antisocial behavior from grade 9.
What happens when children see their parents fighting physically
When a child sees a physical fight from both parents, the child doesn't just feel sad. According to Sandra Brown, a expert in children's education, a child who witnesses violence, especially of a loved one, can cause the child to experience mistrust of others. Later, children will use violence as a way to show their strength, because according to children, depending on other people indicates weakness and inability so that violence becomes a way to show their dominance. In addition, showing violence to children results in children being unable to express themselves well through words. This can make it more difficult for children to work with them.
How to set examples of good behavior for children?
However, don't worry, because not only is the bad thing bad, the child also imitates the good deeds done by their parents. By being a friendly and tolerant parent, you can set an example for your child to do the same. According to psychologists from Harvard, providing a model for behavior for children can give children a reference about what is good and what is not. That way, parents need to show lots of friendly and warm behavior towards others in hopes that their children can adopt them too.
One easy yet warm and kind act is the habit of saying “thank you” every time you get help. Without realizing it, a child will imitate these actions from their parents. Always give appreciation to children for whatever they do, even if it is a small thing. Giving them an understanding of the other side of each story can also make children more tolerant.
What children see can be the basis for children to behave. Although basically the formation of behavior is the result of a complicated process, between biology and the environment which is not just a family environment. Children also tend to imitate the behavior they see not only from the behavior of their parents, but what they watch, their friends, and their teachers at school. The role of parents is needed in shaping the initial character of their children by providing good examples so that children can grow up to be children who can function socially well.
