Читать книгу Child Development From Infancy to Adolescence - Laura E. Levine - Страница 51

Having a good understanding of children’s needs and abilities at each stage of development can help all parents provide the appropriate amount and type of support and stimulation to foster their children’s growth and development. However, this knowledge is even more crucial for particular segments of the parent population. Teen parents are more likely than older parents to lack knowledge about what to expect from their children at different ages, to talk to and play less with their infants, and to use physical punishment to discipline their children (Mann, Pearl, & Behle, 2004). When teen parents learn about child development, their frustration decreases and they have more realistic expectations for their children, their ability to empathize with their child increases, and they better understand how to discipline their child without resorting to physical punishment. Programs designed to improve the quality of parenting among the weakest parents (and teen parents were included in this group) have resulted in more of their children graduating from high school, fewer having a child themselves by the age of 19, and fewer having a criminal conviction by age 19 (Reeves & Howard, 2013).