Parental Companionship in Crucial Phrases of Teens

Parental companionship
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Parental companionship
Childhood and adolescents are crucial phases in their contribution to their health and wellbeing (Purewal et al., 2017). The relationships they form at this stage are a determinant on their development process. During this time, relationships with their parents are essential. The parents offer companionship that children and adolescents need at this stage. The absence of such companionship can have negative implications for their growth and development. Parental companionship varies as individuals transition from childhood to adolescence and ultimately to adulthood. Hence, the parental companionship for children may be appropriate for the adolescents and vice versa. This essay will elaborate on parental companionship with a specific focus on how it affects children and adolescents.
Parental companionship with children
According to Pickhardt (2012), the relationship between parents and children is unchosen because none of them commences the social interaction by any experience of wanting to know one another better. On the contrary, a parent has a stranger born into their care. For the child, the parents seem like strangers. Although the parents may have wanted to get a baby, they must now strive to know the kind of child they have got. The child has to get to know the kind of parents he or she did not have an opportunity to choose. The parent/child relationship comes about as a result of bonded attachment and on family responsibility. The attachment grows as the parent and child nurture affection for one another by participating in a mutually appealing interaction. On the one hand, the child requires love, and the parent wishes to offer love. On the other hand, the adult needs love, and the child wishes to give love in return. Mutual responsibility comes about as the parents assume their responsibility to maintain and guide the child who accepts the duty to adhere to the direction of the parents and accepts dependency on that support.
Companionship with peers
Unlike the companionship with parents which is based on attachment and responsibility, companionship with peers is mutually chosen. The peers “develop compatibility and commonality on how they like each other” (Pickhardt, 2012). The companionship develops when the peers allocate it their primary social value and a more substantial portion of their socializing time. Best friends favor one another’s company and enjoy similar tastes in interests. These qualities characterize much of the friendships for children up to 8 or 9 years. The children simply enjoy spending time together. However, as children reach adolescence, the parent and the young individual find it challenging to maintain the mutually satisfying companionships that existed before. At early adolescence (9 to 13), a separation from childhood and the family takes place as the young people demand more independence and space which strains that companionship with the parents. At this time, the young individuals need to develop a friendship with friends with whom spending time is more appealing compared to hanging out with the parents. The teens oppose the parents as they seek for more freedom which lessens the friendship companionship that initially existed. The parents feel that they communicate less with the young people and feel that they have less common with them. The adolescents do not like the idea that the parents are in charge and controlling. The teenagers question the companionship with the parents because they feel subordinated and inferior.
Enhancing companionship with teenagers
For the parents to enhance the companionship with the teenagers, they need to distinguish between vertical parenting and horizontal parenting. In vertical parenting, the parents assert their authority to fork a superior position. They direct the teenagers on what to do without necessarily consulting with them. However, in horizontal parenting, the parents and the teenagers related on an equal basis (Pickhardt, 2012). The parents seek to connect with the teenagers on person to person basis. Generally, companionship thrives better where parents maintain horizontal parenting. Here, the parents can find a mutually agreeable method of resolving conflicts that arise in the course of the companionship. Nonetheless, there are instances where parents must exert vertical positions against the teenagers. Parents can do this when it is to the best interests of the teenagers. Such positions can prove to be hard for teenagers due to the spirit of companionship. Parents should try to explain that they will endeavor to flexible while at the same time firm. The teenagers should understand that the fact that the parents oppose them in some areas does not mean that they are against them. It is not advisable that parents maintain only horizontal relationships with their teenagers. Such parents can find it challenging to step up and take a hard stand against the teenagers when such a stand is essential.
In an attempt to maintain companionship, some parents strive to be the best friends with their children (Simpkins & Parke, 2001). The parents try to turn the child into a best friend. They take possession of the child as a preferred company and encourage the child to do the same. The short-term benefit of this approach is mutual pleasure between the parents and the children. However, the approach can have adverse long-term effects to the children. The move limits the socialization of the child with peers. As a result, the child does not develop good same-sex friendships since the parents have become the best friends. The child becomes assimilated into adults-like things due to the extensive association with the parents and ends up more socially dependable o parental company while losing touch with the age mates. Such children find their age mates boring because they have developed grown-up tastes and sense of humor. Hence, when such children approach adolescence, they do not desire to build an independent family of friends because they are already socially dependent on the parents.
Hence, it is essential for parents to avoid developing companionship that discourages adequate socialization and allowing the children to establish ongoing friendships with the peers. The power of parental companionship with children is enhanced by history and future commitment of love. Unlike peer companionships which are temporary, parental companionship is more permanent. Since parents can maintain constant friendships with their children, they can use the opportunity to identify what is happening in the life of their children. The parents can use their influence to direct the children on the right path while at the same time correcting them appropriately.
Companionship for residential and non-residential parenting
Childhood is an opportunity to enjoy companionship from both the resident and non-residential parent. Both parents can utilize this time to spend time with their children by assisting them to develop a hobby and teaching them important skills. In case a child demonstrates strong opposition to being with one of the parents, it is the duty of both parents to handle the situation. They are supposed to work with each other to undertake what is in the best interests of the child. The parents should avoid confrontation scenes with the child. Instead, both residential and non-residential parents to work together for what is in the best interests of the child.
One way of demonstrating companionship is involvement in the extracurricular activities and other school-related activities. The resident parent must cater for the costs of transportation to the activities (The Supreme Court of Ohio, 2012). The parent should also provide a notice to the non-resident parent. In case the child becomes ill and needs medication consultation, both parents should notify each other. In case the illness happens with the resident parent before the scheduled parenting time, the resident parent should discuss with the other parent white considering the best interests of the child. Regarding vacations, the non-residential parent has the priority to choose a vacation. Both parents can arrange to have vacation with the child without interruption. For the companionship to thrive both parents must cooperate. For instance, the parents should be willing to reschedule their missed parenting time to facilitate each other to have adequate time with the child. The residential parent should not reschedule missed parent time with the aim of harassing, coercing or wanting to have unwanted time with the other parent. Further, the non-resident parent should not request to reschedule missed parenting opportunities in a way that interferes with the established routine of the child or the other parent (The Supreme Court of Ohio, 2012). In essence, this ensures that children with both residential and non-residential parents get an opportunity to spend time with the child and offer the companionship. The child should not feel neglected since the parents are expected to play their role.
Loss of parental consortium
The loss of parental consortium denotes an instance where a child is deprived of the benefits of family or parental companionship (Chang, Eisenberg, Ho and Wells, 2015). A parent can suffer non-fatal but serious injuries. The injury may prevent the parent from participating in activities involving the child. For example, it may be challenging for the parent to attend the child’s soccer team or participate in the school dance. In case the affected child is very young, he or she may lack the opportunity to be held and physically comforted by the parent. Further, a parent may be cognitively damaged which may deprive the child of the companionship which the child should have experienced if the parent had not been injured. The absence of parental companionship due to an injury will have an adverse effect on the development of the child (Chang, Eisenberg, Ho and Wells, 2015). Some jurisdictions now recognize a cla...