My reflection

Personal Reflection on Children and Society Handel et al. go to great lengths to discuss the different environments and set-ups in which children are brought up and develop. The authors go beyond defining the environments and environments to discuss how the child development is influenced by these environments or setups. Some of the setups and environments in this respect include family, school, peer group, and cliché, just to name a few – which constitute some of the agencies of socialization for children according to Handel et al. (2011). While for a long time, the nuclear family has been considered the traditional family, the source brings into light changing family setups and the contentious issues that surround the definition of the traditional family.
Handel et al. (2011) elaborate the extent to which different agencies of socialization impact child behavior. At home and in school for example, children’s behavior are molded to conform with certain rules. Parents and teachers play a significant role in correcting errant behavior and guiding children to adopt socially acceptable ones, as opposed to those that are considered negative. Like the other agencies of socialization, peer influence greatly shape the way children develop. As peers, for example, children engage in such activities as play and collaboration against parents and teachers to resist some of the directions given to them by the significant others. By engaging in different activities as peers, children get to learn interpersonal skills much as they learn emotional regulatory ability mostly from their parents. In general, Handel et al. Paint a broad, albeit vivid picture of how the school, family and peer group affect children’s development.
References
Handel G. & Et al. (2011). Children and Society. Retrieved February 1, 2014 from http://www. usnayar. com/home/human-development/hdclasses/hdl-class-three