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"The way the twig is bent, so the tree will grow" is an adage applying with great force to children in relation to the effect parents can have on their growth and development as individual personalities.
From infancy, children are like putty in the hands of their parents and other family members, learning a pattern of behavior they observe around them every day of their young lives.

The effect the immediate family has on children cannot be overstated as children learn how to behave first within the home and carry this into other spheres such as school. Parents are without doubt, the greatest influences a child will ever have in their lives, for good or bad, as they have this malleable young person in their care from birth.
The example young children observe in parents will be reflected in the way they think, speak and act.

Parents are not the sole influence on the behavior of their children and cannot be held responsible for every wrong move they make in life.
Even with the best of training coupled with consistent discipline, children can become involved in questionable conduct as a consequence of association with others outside the home.

Peer pressure exerts a tremendous force on young people, often encouraging a behavior pattern out of character for them and contrary to the good principles taught within the home.

The other side of the coin is the fact that in many instances, parents are directly responsible for the poor behavior of their children, failing to provide a positive example themselves or through a lack of reasonable discipline.

When children observe attitudes and speech in their parents that is unwholesome, we can only expect they will be influenced to imitate this in some form. If parents are anti-social, the likelihood is their children will be the same. If children are known to use foul language, the chances are that they learned this within the home from parents.

The same principle applies when there is a serious lack of discipline at home. Children who have no respect for authority may not even understand the concept of adhering to rules and directions due to a severe lack at home.

Ultimately, as children get older, they must accept accountability for their own actions but there is no doubting the powerful influence parents exert upon them and the liability they must accept to some degree for the bad behavior of their children.

Learn more about this author, John Campbell.
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