Life Span Development II School Age and Adolescence

Life Span Development II: School age and Adolescence 3 (2+1)

Lesson 30 : Transitions in Family Relationships During Late Childhood and Adolescence

Changes in parent –child interactions and parental supervision

During the period of late childhood and adolescence children grow independent of parent and family members and learn to be autonomic in their own decision making and life choices. Adolescents establish their own unique identity in choosing their careers and try to become financial independent. Hence there is a vast transition in family relationship among family members due to this emerging sense of independence during this adolescence.

Reduced Parent-Child Interaction

As children enter late childhood, there is a decline in the amount of time they spend with their parents the amount of time their parents devote to them compared to parents of preschool-age children. Parents of school-age children spend less than half as much time caring for, teaching, reading to, talking with and playing with their children.

Children’s social interactions also change over the course of late childhood. They are more centered on activities that reach beyond the context of the family children spend a considerable amount of time involved in activities outside of the family- school, sports, and socializing. Children spend only about 30 minutes each week talking with family members. The way they spend their time at home also changes. Older children spend more time studying, playing sports and performing chores or housework, whereas young children spend more time playing and eating.

Reduced Parental Supervision

Today’s parents supervise their children less than what parents did in the past. School-age children who are not well supervised by their parents are more likely to engage in antisocial and delinquent behaviors than those children who are well supervised.

Economic conditions have contributed to the change in parental roles. Parental supervision has been reduced in part because of the increased participation of mothers in the paid work-force.

Terms latchkey children is used to describe children who are left unsupervised during the day or return home to an empty house after school. Latchkey children are more likely to be truant from school, feel stressed, receive poor grades, engage in risky behaviors, and use alcohol or tobacco than well supervised children. Such problems are arise when children are unsupervised and their parents do not know their whereabouts. In contrast, enrollment in after-school care programs is associated with good grades and peer relationships.