EAP Summit: Corona Schools CEO, Adesina shares what an effective parent-child relationship should look like

ARINZE NWAFOR

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Corona Schools Trust Council, Adeyoyin Adesina, has described an effective parent-child relationship as a process where parents spend quality time with their children beyond the duty of providing for them.

Adesina told attendees of the 2023 Employee Assistance Programme Summit that parenting is a process on Wednesday.

Citing a definition, she said effective parenting is “the process of raising children with protection and care to ensure their healthy development into adulthood.

Adesina said an effective parent-child relationship should contain components, including an emotional connection, mutual love and respect, trust and a sense of safety, courage and confidence, and a great and open relationship.

Adesina said the ideals of effective parenting also apply to children living in single-parent homes.

She also urged parents to take note of their essential duties, including the ability to make tough decisions, teach independence, give praise and rewards for wins and set limits and be consistent with their disciplinary measures.

Other essential duties of parents are “making time for the children at school activities and home, adjusting (parenting) style as their children grow and showing affection as often as they can,” Adesina added.

She identified three main components of good parenting; connection, autonomy, and regulation.

Adesina asked parents to recognise the place of bonding with their children as they grow older, knowing when and where to allow them to make decisions by themselves and being able to offer guidance.

The Corona schools’ CEO pointed out that current parenting practices have evolved.

She said there is a need to host parents and set up seminars to educate them on current parenting practices.

She said the changes in society seen through the strides in social media, increased individualism, economic and political instability, breakdown of ancient boundaries, fast-paced technological innovations, and the redefining of the family have affected parenting.

Adesina advised parents to adopt an authoritative approach to parenting over the other three classifications, including the authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved parenting approaches.

“A child raised by an authoritative child will be more confident and happy than the one raised by an authoritarian parent who will grow unhappy,” Adesina said.

She also discouraged the practice of parents outsourcing or delegating their roles to others, including teachers and other caregivers.

Adesina also discouraged the practice of parents comparing their children with each other, thereby causing resentment.