Child Rearing
Child rearing in the Philippines takes on a number of different forms throughout the life of a child. To begin, child bearing is an expectation of any marriage and many families prefer to have multiple children, ideally at least one of each sex. As infants, these children are kept very protected and close to the mother. An emphasis on extreme closeness and dependency is carried on throughout the toddler years. In addition to this very close relationship, early childhood is also characterized by indulgence. Children are typically faced with very few demands and responsibilities and any sign of unhappiness is addressed with attention from a family member or care taker. It is common for a Filipino toddler to be permitted to sleep with their parents or other family member for an extended period of their life. Few Filipino children are toilet trained by the age of 2 and some do not get trained until 4. (Herrington, 2001).
The indulgent childhood changes drastically to authoritarian style parenting as the child approaches school age. At this age students are expected to know the difference between wrong and right and are disciplined with force, such as spanking and hitting, or teasing and ridicule when they do not exhibit proper behavior. Some of the worst offences include aggression towards siblings or disrespect of family members. The mother is the primary disciplinarian as she has the most interaction with the children and the father’s absolute authority is shown such respect that he rarely must discipline the children. (Herrington, 2001).
The strict enforcement of family oriented rules of respect results in children who have a very strong sense of family and extreme respect for elders. Family is so close in fact that many times children are allowed to remain living with their parents well into adulthood. This is a factor not only of the strong sense of family developed in the children but also the attachment of the parents and difficulty letting go and accepting the children as independent adults.( Logic Vortex, 2006)
References:
Herrington, Don A. (2001). Philippine Culture. Retrieved from http://www.livinginthephilippines.com/philculture/
Logic Vortex. (2006). Philippine Country Guide. Retrieved from http://www.philippinecountry.com/
The indulgent childhood changes drastically to authoritarian style parenting as the child approaches school age. At this age students are expected to know the difference between wrong and right and are disciplined with force, such as spanking and hitting, or teasing and ridicule when they do not exhibit proper behavior. Some of the worst offences include aggression towards siblings or disrespect of family members. The mother is the primary disciplinarian as she has the most interaction with the children and the father’s absolute authority is shown such respect that he rarely must discipline the children. (Herrington, 2001).
The strict enforcement of family oriented rules of respect results in children who have a very strong sense of family and extreme respect for elders. Family is so close in fact that many times children are allowed to remain living with their parents well into adulthood. This is a factor not only of the strong sense of family developed in the children but also the attachment of the parents and difficulty letting go and accepting the children as independent adults.( Logic Vortex, 2006)
References:
Herrington, Don A. (2001). Philippine Culture. Retrieved from http://www.livinginthephilippines.com/philculture/
Logic Vortex. (2006). Philippine Country Guide. Retrieved from http://www.philippinecountry.com/
