Among the chaos of working parents’ households, whether they are present or not, are the products of stressed out parents. Due to the increase in full-time working parents, “more and more children have been left to their own devices once the school bell rings, approximately 5-7 million”(Goot, 2020). Consequently, these children are ending up in the wrong places, in subway stations, libraries, or alone behind locked doors, with pricey afterschool programs providing the only safe and reliable place of care for hours after school. We can not continue to let this issue progress in the wrong direction.
In the absence of an attentive care-giver, children may lack the self-regulation skills needed for demonstrating appropriate behavior(Zimmerlie, 2019). Oftentimes, children who do not know how to properly regulate or cope with their own emotions react negatively and act out in certain situations. We see this when a child throws a temper tantrum, gets upset at an adult when they have to share, or their demands are denied(Berk & Meyers, 2019). This reaction often occurs as kids get older, as they become proficient in acting deliberately to elicit a specific response(Berk & Meyers, 2019). This can be seen in children whose parents have been working their entire lives, and have been forced to develop without the attention they desired. Older children are also more capable at understanding who specifically caused them to become agitated(Berk & Meyers, 2019). However, these negative reactions can improve with the help of a nurturing, patient caregiver, that is oftentimes not available for a child with parents who work full-time. With the help of quality caregivers, toddlers who have difficult temperaments can be suggested other acceptable activities, which helps them develop better anger-regulation strategies and social skills(Berk & Meyers, 2019). But for the toddlers and children with difficult temperaments that lack quality caregivers, behavioral issues may remain in the future.
Working parents who arrive home later in the evening, exhausted from work, still await the stress at home. When mothers and fathers exist in prolonging states of stress and overhaustion, they cannot perform their best parenting or provide key skills that are needed to nurture a child. For example, using a soothing voice can help caregivers suggest these healthier activities for temperamental and angry children, because not only does the voice hold a verbal message, but infants can “distinguish between positive and negative emotion in voices” (Berk & Meyers, 2019). By responding to inappropriate behavior in a calm manner and voice, the child will be able to observe model behavior and feel safe and protected by an authoritative figure(Berk & Meyers, 2019). The adult will also be able to address their incorrect behavior and implement consequences. But when an adult is on the verge of collapsing under the weight and expectations of being both a good parent and worker, their mindset and mood may not be in the correct place to mentally and emotionally support their child the way they need to. The child will then lack the essential role model, behavior, and attitude they need to be exposed to. Due to exhaustion, and little choice of what else to do, many parents may simply place their child in front of a TV or screen to keep them occupied. This definitely has significant effects on the way a child develops in all domains, especially if their learning takes place primarily online, devoid of any human interaction with teachers or other children.
Berk, Laura E., and Adena Beth Meyers. Infants and Children: Prenatal through Middle
Childhood. Langara College, 2019.
Zimmerle, J. C. (2019). Limiting Technoference: Healthy Screen Time Habits for New
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