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Lesson Note

Subject: Civic Education

Topic:  Responsible Parenthood

Lesson Objectives: by the end of the lesson, the learners should be able to:

  1. Define the term Responsible Parenthood;
  2. State the roles/duties of both father and mother as responsible parents;
  3. State the importance of the concept of responsible parenthood.
  4. State the  factors that can promote successful responsible parenthood;
  5. State the challenges of responsible parenthood. 

Lesson Summary Aids: See reference materials below contents.

Lesson Summary / Discussion

RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD

Responsible parenthood is the ability of parents to provide for the overall needs of their children in order to become responsible citizens in the society. It involves the ability of parents to take care of their children and see to their financial, educational, social, emotional and material needs. It also refers to the duties of parents towards their children in order to prepare them for responsible adulthood.

Importance of responsible parenthood
Parents And Their Children: depositphotos.com

 


The duties of parents start immediately the child is conceived. Both husband and wife ensure that there is adequate care for the baby and so the wife must attend antenatal clinic regularly and takes adequate nutrition for the total development and wellbeing of the baby.

After the child is born, both parents monitor the child from cradle to adult stage, monitor the type of friends he or she keeps and also guides the children in the way of God.

 

ROLES/RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE FATHER

A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive father is a male who has become the child’s parent through the legal process of adoption. A biological father is the male genetic contributor to the creation of the infant, through sexual intercourse or sperm donation. A biological father may have legal obligations to a child not raised by him, such as an obligation of monetary support. A putative father is a man whose biological relationship to a child is alleged but has not been established. A stepfather is a male who is the husband of a child’s mother and they may form a family unit, but who generally does not have the legal rights and responsibilities of a parent in relation to the child. A male role model that children can look up to is sometimes referred to as a father-figure.

Role of a father

Father Assisting his child with school work: gettyimages.com

The following are the roles of the father in responsible parenthood

  1. He provides for the financial needs of his family.
  2. He provide for the nutritional needs of the family.
  3. He provides security for his family.
  4. He provides shelter for the family.
  5. He pays adequate attention to his children’s education.
  6. He disciplines the family members when any of them is at fault.
  7. He ensures that the children imbibe good values.
  8. He shows his family love and care.

 

ROLES/RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE MOTHER

Here, you need to have knowledge of who a mother is, so as to enable you understand the role properly.

A mother is the female parent of a child. Mothers are women who inhabit or perform the role of bearing some relation to their children, who may or may not be their biological offspring. Thus, dependent on the context, women can be considered mothers by virtue of having given birth, by raising their child(ren), supplying their ovum for fertilisation, or some combination thereof. Such conditions provide a way of delineating the concept of motherhood, or the state of being a mother. Women who meet the third and first categories usually fall under the terms ‘birth mother’ or ‘biological mother’, regardless of whether the individual in question goes on to parent their child. Accordingly, a woman who meets only the second condition may be considered an adoptive mother, and those who meet only the first or only the third a surrogacy mother. An adoptive mother is a female who has become the child’s parent through the legal process of adoption. A biological mother is the female genetic contributor to the creation of the infant, through sexual intercourse or egg donation. A biological mother may have legal obligations to a child not raised by her, such as an obligation of monetary support. A putative mother is a female whose biological relationship to a child is alleged but has not been established. A stepmother is a woman who is married to a child’s father and they may form a family unit, but who generally does not have the legal rights and responsibilities of a parent in relation to the child. The above concepts defining the role of mother are neither exhaustive nor universal, as any definition of ‘mother’ may vary based on how social, cultural, and religious roles are defined. There are parallel conditions and terms for males: those who are (typically biologically) fathers do not, by definition, take up the role of motherhood. Motherhood and fatherhood are not limited to those who are or have parented. Women who are pregnant may be referred to as expectant mothers or mothers-to-be, though such applications tend to be less readily applied to (biological) fathers or adoptive parents. The process of becoming a mother has been referred to as “matrescence”. The adjective “maternal” refers to a mother and comparatively to “paternal” for a father. The verb “to mother” means to procreate or to sire a child, or to provide care for a child, from which also derives the noun “mothering”. Related terms of endearment are mom (mama, mommy), mum (mummy), mumsy, mamacita (ma, mam) and mammy. A female role model that children can look up to is sometimes referred to as a mother-figure.

Role of the mother

Mother Teaching her child to cook:  123RF.com


The following are roles of the mother in responsible parenthood:

  1. She prepares food for the family.
  2. She keeps the house and surroundings clean.
  3. She ensures the children are well fed.
  4. She wakes up early to prepare the children for school and also get their food ready.
  5. She supervises the children’s homework and also finds time to visit the children at school to ascertain their performance and behavior.
  6. She supports her husband financially when necessary.
  7. She monitors the health of the children.
  8. She teaches her children to be obedient and respectful to family members and neighbours.
  9. She must also show exemplary qualities in areas of character, relationship with neighbours and high moral values and also discipline and correct the children when they go wrong.

 

IMPORTANCE OF RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD

The importance of the concept of responsible parenthood can not be over emphasized.

  1. It produces responsible children who would build up the nation.
  2. It promotes good character and good values system in the society.
  3. It brings about peace and harmony in the society.
  4. It reduces the rate of crime in the society.
  5. It gives the children a sense of belonging and encourages them to contribute to the development of their country.
  6. It reduces the level of illiteracy in the society.
  7. It helps to reduce conflict in the society.
  8. It produces future leaders with spirit of nationalism and patriotism.
  9. It enhances unity in the society.
  10. It ensures responsible families in the society.

FACTORS THAT CAN LEAD TO SUCCESS OF RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD

The following factors are required to bring about responsible parenthood.

  1. Effective Education: Good education is one factor that can lead to successful responsible parenthood. Education gives the necessary exposure and knowledge that will help the parents to attend to the needs of their children.
  2. Good Values System: The exhibition of positive values in the society will promote responsible parenthood in the country. Positive values teach us to be respectful, honest, responsible and patriotic.
  3. Employment Opportunity: Engagement in economic activities will enable parents to provide for the basic needs of their children. Parents without jobs or good jobs may not be able to lead responsible family.
  4. Family Size: The size of the family is determined by the number of people living together as a family. Small size family will promote responsible parenthood than a larger family. It is advisable that family size should not be larger than the income of the family, especially now that basic needs of life are not easy to come by.
  5. Enlightenment Campaign: Public enlightenment campaign on the importance of responsible parenthood will go a long way to influence parents in response to the needs of their children.
  6. Good Governance: A responsive and responsible government will provide the necessary infrastructures that will enable parents to be responsible.
  7. Respect for Law and Order: People tend to be more responsible in a society where there is respect for law and order.

 

CONSTRAINTS OF GOOD PARENTHOOD

By constraints, we mean those factors or conditions that hinders the success of responsible parenthood. These factors are stated and explained below:

  1. Poverty: One of the major constraints of good parenthood is the inability of the parents to provide for the basic needs of the family i.e. food, clothing and shelter. A situation where parents cannot fend for themselves it will become difficult to attend to the needs of the children either educationally, socially, materially, financially and otherwise.
  2. Illiteracy: Illiterate parents lack basic knowledge and exposure that ensures responsible and good parenthood. The children are at the mercy of their peers and neighbours for survival. This is a major constraint of good and responsible parenthood.
  3. Customs and Traditions: Some of our traditional practices and cultural beliefs are restrictions of good parenthood. In some cultures sending a girl child to school is a waste of time and resources. Such children can grow up to become threats in the society.
  4. Bad Governance: Government that is not responsive to the needs of the citizens is creating a platform for parents become deficient in their responsibilities. Bad government can lead to criminality, insecurity, injustice and conflicts in the society. These are serious concerns for good parenthood.
  5. Unemployment: Parents who are not gainfully employed may be compared by the circumstances and situations of the moment to become bad parents. They will have low self-esteem and high sense of inadequacy.
  6. Environmental Factors: The effect of the environment of the parents and the children is a major constraint of responsible parenthood. People are products of their environment. In most cases children turn out to replicate the lifestyle, behaviour and attitude of their immediate environment. This is a constraint of good parenthood.

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Lesson Evaluation / Test

  1. Define the term Responsible Parenthood.
  2. Who is a father?
  3. Who is a mother?
  4. What are the roles/duties of both father and mother as responsible parents?
  5. What are the importance of the concept of responsible parenthood?
  6. Mention any five factors that can promote good parenthood.
  7. What makes responsible parenthood difficult in our society today? Give your reasons.

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Resources

“definition of mother from Oxford Dictionaries Online”. Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press.
^ “Define Mother at Dictionary.com”. Dictionary.com.

^ Sacks, Alexandra (8 May 2017). “The Birth of a Mother”. Retrieved 13 April 2022.

^ “Definition of MOTHER”. http://www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2022-04-13.

Karberg, Elizabeth; Finocharo, Jane; Vann, Nigel (2019). “Father and Child Well-Being: A Scan of Current Research” (PDF). fatherhood.gov. National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse. Retrieved April 13 2022

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