{"id":21785,"date":"2020-02-06T09:13:48","date_gmt":"2020-02-06T09:13:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/?p=21785"},"modified":"2025-03-07T20:45:01","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T20:45:01","slug":"what-is-the-role-of-families-in-child-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/what-is-the-role-of-families-in-child-development\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is The Role of Families in Child Development?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are many key themes in child development.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This blog covers the role of families in child development, looking at parenting as a team around children (\u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/coparenting-support\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">coparenting<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d) and how it operates in the infinite variety of families across the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It looks not just at parents\u2019 and carers\u2019 relationship with children but at their relationships with each other (the \u201ccommunity of care\u201d).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moreover, it covers how children can benefit from multiple and different experiences of parental care, and considers the historical origins of the term \u201cprimary carer\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Key influences on how parents care for children are considered \u2013 separation and divorce, poverty and stress, with the blog concluding with a spotlight on attachment.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_79_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #121c4e;color:#121c4e\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #121c4e;color:#121c4e\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/what-is-the-role-of-families-in-child-development\/#1_What_is_meant_by_the_term_child_development\" >1. What is meant by the term child development?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/what-is-the-role-of-families-in-child-development\/#2_Nature_or_nurture\" >2. Nature or nurture?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/what-is-the-role-of-families-in-child-development\/#3_The_role_of_the_family_in_child_development\" >3. The role of the family in child development<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/what-is-the-role-of-families-in-child-development\/#4_Early_Childhood_Development_Attachment\" >4. Early Childhood Development: Attachment<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_What_is_meant_by_the_term_child_development\"><\/span><b>1. What is meant by the term child development?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Child development involves four changes that take place from birth to adulthood:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Physical: how children\u2019s bodies grow and develop.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cognitive: how children think, explore, and figure things out.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Social: how children learn to interact with those around them.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emotional: how children understand who they are and what they feel.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through these changes, individuals move from complete dependency at birth to increasing independence and autonomy as they reach adolescence and young adulthood.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The process of child development is strongly intertwined with a child\u2019s genetic makeup. But because development is an interactive process, genes alone do not determine who someone will become. The environment in which a child is raised also affects who he or she will be as an adult. It is not possible to say which is more important: Inheritance and experience are both key influences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All children go through stages of development, with each stage providing a foundation for the next. Many different stages have been described. For example, focusing on children\u2019s cognitive development, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK537095\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jean Piaget described four stages<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first two years\u2014the \u201csensorimotor stage.\u201d Babies develop action schemes like sucking, pushing, hitting, and grasping.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two to seven years\u2014the \u201cpre-operational stage.\u201d Children develop the ability to think, but have limited ability to apply logic to a situation to deduce something by thought alone.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seven to 11 years\u2014\u201cconcrete operational stage.\u201d Children start working things out through logical thought rather than just action.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">12 to 15 years\u2014\u201cformal operational stage.\u201d Children engage in systematic experimentation, forming hypotheses, testing them, and trying alternatives.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Focusing on social development, John Bowlby described four stages: pre-attachment (first 6 weeks), attachment in the making (until 7-8 months, as the child shows increasing preferences), attachment (until the start of the third year, marked by distress when separated from attachment figures), and goal-corrected partnerships (when the child starts to take into account the attachment figure\u2019s needs).<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Nature_or_nurture\"><\/span><b>2. Nature or nurture?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The answer is: This is the wrong question! It used to be thought that the genes children receive from their parents were completely separate from the experiences that shape their development. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the study of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/epigenetics-offer-hope-disadvantaged-children\/\"><b>epigenetics<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has shown that our experiences affect our genes and these changes are inheritable. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, if parents\u2014either mothers or fathers\u2014have experienced trauma in their lives, their children are more likely to be susceptible to anxiety. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our experiences produce proteins that attach to our genes and influence how the genes work. These changes may be passed down to generations. The good news is that they can be reversed by new experiences and with support.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_The_role_of_the_family_in_child_development\"><\/span><b>3. The role of the family in child development<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><b>Team parenting<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Families are infinite in variety within and across cultures and also across history. But every family that successfully raises children has something in common: the ability of parents, relatives, and other caregivers to work together as a team or \u201ccommunity of care\u201d to raise each child.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A child\u2019s relationships with parents, carers, and siblings play important roles in the development process. Early experiences, especially children\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/secure-attachment-father-play\/\">attachment<\/a> to parents and other key carers, shape children\u2019s future development.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The relationships between parents and caregivers also strongly influence child development. Positive, interactive, and communicative relationships within the \u201ccommunity of care\u201d help promote strong child development.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This dependence on the development of relationships explains the extreme pain children experience when exposed to parental conflict. While conflict occurs in all families, children in families with high levels of discord are at risk of developmental damage. Parents who work together to raise their children and don\u2019t undermine each other\u2019s parenting have offspring who do better. Parents who struggle to reach this balance have children who may become fearful or anxious, and who may find it hard to focus on learning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Does it matter if parents care in different ways? Children benefit from diverse experiences of care, for example, how far they are pushed in a game or having parents and grandparents who care for them in different ways. If these differences go too far, however\u2014if the carers are not agreed on basic principles and are not working together\u2014it creates confusion for the children and disrupts strong development, leading in extreme cases to a child developing hostility, aggression, or passivity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Throughout history, parenting has been a team effort. Anthropologists who have studied the origins of the human species have found that team parenting is key to the success of the human race. Human children are dependent on their carers for far longer than other animals and typically, multiple children grow up in families at the same time. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Parents and others acting in a parenting role (called \u201calloparents\u201d) fill in for each other over time, protecting the child even in the most extreme case of a biological parent not surviving (which used to occur far more frequently). This robust form of parenting has meant that children can thrive in a large variety of conditions, including those that are harsh.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The \u201cPrimary Carer\u201d<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is there such a thing as a single \u201cprimary carer\u201d? In some families, one carer does more than the other and can be called a primary carer. In others, care is more shared. One parent carrying the lion\u2019s share of parenting is a relatively recent phenomenon historically speaking, emerging as families in some societies started to live in smaller household units and when work moved away from the home. But even in these families\u2014and also in families where parents have separated or were never together\u2014others help with the care of the children and can play an important part in child development.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research shows that the most important factor is not the exact composition of the family, but the quality of the caring and how parents and carers\u2014whoever they are\u2014work as a team. Where there are differences in child development, it is because of other things. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, studies show that single-parent families tend to have less money, which can disadvantage children, while same-sex parents tend to work together more closely as a parenting team, which benefits children. Warm collaborative parenting can take place in any family formation, and this is what matters to children.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Separation and Divorce<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The parent-child relationship, particularly a child\u2019s relationship with his or her father, is at risk during separation and divorce. Worse developmental outcomes in later life are among the effects of divorce on children who lose a parent-child relationship. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That is not to say that every individual child does worse, just that the risk of doing worse is significantly higher. By understanding the effects of divorce on children, families can avoid damaging patterns of behavior and work to improve child development outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A review of research on divorce, <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/parent-child-relationship-effects-divorce-children\/\">Scientists Urge More Priority to Protecting the Parent-Child Relationship to Limit the Effects of Divorce on Children<\/a>, makes the case that family law should make it a priority to preserve not \u201cat least one\u201d relationship, but all parent-child relationships that are important to a child. And parents who separate or divorce might consider the benefits of shared parenting and shared physical custody, which mitigate the negative effects of separation and divorce on children.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Poverty<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Poverty and disadvantage make parenting much more difficult. This is in part because these conditions create major challenges for parents. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/disadvantage-backgrounds-can-produce-strengths\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Poverty<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> also has powerful effects on child development.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Children from disadvantaged backgrounds can fall behind their peers in language and learning, even as early as age three. In classrooms, they often have difficulty focusing their attention, thinking, and managing their emotions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the good news from neuroscientists is that these impacts are not hard-wired or inevitable. Parents can and do make a huge difference in moderating and managing the stress of poverty to reduce the risk to child development.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emotionally supportive parenting\u2014when mothers and fathers share and model how to manage aggression and upset\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/supportive-parenting-disadvantaged-children\/\">can help impoverished children become more resilient<\/a>. Moreover, <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/learning-stimulation-home-academic-achievement\/\">keeping an orderly home and engaging in appropriate parental supervision predict better social and emotional outcomes for children in low-income families<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Stress<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Much of the reason why poverty and disadvantage make parenting more challenging can be traced to stress. Parents who are under continual stresses such as <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/food-insecurity-threatens-learning\/\">food insecurity<\/a>, low income, lack of employment or underemployment, and homelessness can have difficulty keeping their families functioning optimally. This, in turn, influences children\u2019s development.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When parenting is warm and collaborative, children are protected. In fact, warm, supportive relationships can reduce the stress hormones that are released in adversity and can even reverse the behavioral and other effects of hormone overload.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To learn more about this, read our articles on <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/family-conflict-stress-child-development\/\">Stress Of Adversity Harms Children Biologically And Behaviorally, But Good Care Can Reverse The Damage<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/stress-adversity-harms-children-biologically-behaviorally-good-care-can-reverse-damage\/\">Stress Of Adversity Harms Children Biologically And Behaviorally, But Good Care Can Reverse The Damage<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Early_Childhood_Development_Attachment\"><\/span><b>4. Early Childhood Development: Attachment<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attachment is a deep and long-lasting bond that connects one person to another. Developmental scientist John Bowlby, who <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/John-Bowlby\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">originated attachment theory<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, defined attachment as a \u201clasting psychological connectedness between human beings.\u201d Attachment plays a very important role in parenting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to attachment theory, from birth, children need people around them. They soon become selective in whom they seek contact with, developing attachment relationships with their most important caregivers. These attachments evolved as a survival mechanism, explaining why parents and other carers are of such key significance to children\u2019s development.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Almost all children have one or more attachment figures they can turn to. Researchers have discovered that children whose primary <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/primary-caregiver-fathers-and-mothers-are-equally-competent\/\">caregivers<\/a> are mostly available and responsive to them and who support and care for them consistently develop what\u2019s called a \u201csecure attachment relationship.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it is easy for infants to know that their caregiver is available, this gives them the confidence to explore the world around them. In contrast, children who are cared for in less reliable, consistent, and responsive ways are more likely to develop relationships characterized by ambivalence, avoidance, or disorganization. While it is still important that children have these early relationships, they might struggle more in finding security and support in future relationships.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is there one attachment or multiple attachments? <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/global-collaboration-on-attachment-theory-in-family-court\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Attachment theory<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was developed in societies and at a time when many children were raised mainly by one parent, usually the mother. This resulted in the idea that children have one \u201cprimary attachment\u201d with a maternal carer. This is true of some children, but more frequent across history and across cultures is multiple attachments. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Children\u2019s development experience may be a combination of secure and insecure relationships, creating the possibility that negative experiences with one caregiver may be compensated by kind experiences with another.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8211;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Child and Family Blog reports on the latest research on how families influence child development. For more information, discover our <a href=\"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/all-articles\/\">articles<\/a> here.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are many key themes in child development. This blog covers the role of families in child development, looking at parenting as a team around children (\u201ccoparenting\u201d) and how it operates in the infinite variety of families across the world.\u00a0 It looks not just at parents\u2019 and carers\u2019 relationship with children but at their relationships [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":21789,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[438],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21785"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21785"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21841,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21785\/revisions\/21841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childandfamilyblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}