Childhood is the period of life when the bases of individuality are formed. Children get acquainted with the entire world, society, its rules, and values. In this case, the role of parents and educators cannot be underestimated as they represent the moral compass for the younger generation. However, other stages of transition to adulthood should also be taken into consideration as they bring a new unique experience to a child. For example, the teenage years are the period of becoming familiar with the first love, responsibility for others, life challenges, and crucial decisions about the future profession or the place of living. The examination of childhood experience is an essential part of understanding the process of human development. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the level of impact of early childhood on the life of a human and compare it to other youthful stages.
The first question that has to be taken into account is the understanding of the evaluating system criteria according to which the impact of early childhood experience is supposed to be assessed. For example, some researchers are concentrated on the assessment of the specific skills of a child. They examine the communicative abilities of the younger generation (Verdon et al., 2017). To provide objective and efficient results, the scientists created a specific system of evaluation where communication is a complex competence that consists of language proficiency and the level of interaction with other people (Verdon et al., 2017). The authors of the academic work maintain that frequent contact with humans of diverse ages positively affects the well-being and the quality of life of a child (Verdon et al., 2017). What is more, he or she becomes more confident and shows better results in learning capacities (Verdon et al., 2017). Nevertheless, it is necessary to point out that the link between the level of skills development of a person and his or her ability to communicate in childhood cannot be completely objective.
The correlation between causes and consequences is impossible to be verified in experimental circumstances without the influence of external factors. The relationship between the two examined elements may show the trend of the development of the personality. Nonetheless, it cannot guarantee the same results for all children as they have diverse backgrounds, specificities of upbringing, or other essential components that have to be taken into consideration.
To evaluate the impact of the early childhood experience, it is vital to provide a comparison with some other stages of development of the personality. Adolescence is often considered to be the most critical period of life. Runcan and Druşcă (2019) investigated the influence of the relationships between father and daughter on her future life and perception of herself. They deduced that harmonious relations increase the possibility of the self-acceptance of the woman in adulthood (Runcan & Druşcă, 2019). Moreover, it has a positive effect on the choice of the partner and the quality of family life in general (Runcan & Druşcă, 2019). The authors of the article conducted research with interviews of married women under 35 years. The results indicated that ladies with good relationships with their fathers have adequate self-esteem and are more pleased with their choice of husband (Runcan & Druşcă, 2019). It is possible to conclude that adolescence plays a serious role in the development of humans. It is hard to assess which of the examined periods is more important as they both affect the adulthood of a person.
Specific and minor details of the childhood experience should also be examined as they are an integral part of the perception of the world by the younger generation. With the appearance of computers, people reduced the level of activities that include walking or being in the fresh air. However, from the perspective of scientists, these changes may negatively affect the development of a child (Bento & Dias, 2017). The first reason for the unfavorable impact is the minimal engagement in physical activities that may lead to health problems in the future (Bento & Dias, 2017). Secondly, the connection to nature is a vital component of the discovery of the entire world. Another point is the socialization that would be significantly limited in case of the absence of games on the playground (Bento & Dias, 2017). The final argument presented by the researchers is that walks are crucial for introducing to a child what risks and dangers are and how to avoid them (Bento & Dias, 2017). Even simple actions as the promenade with a child can have a severe impact on his or her skills in adulthood.
The early childhood experience plays a crucial role in the development of a human. However, it does not mean that the other phases of growing up are less important. The article about the relationships between a girl and her father and its impact on her future life and perception of the world is an illustration of the vital role of adolescence. It is impossible to compare the level of influence of diverse periods because of the number of external factors that affect the results. However, it is possible to claim that early childhood has a noticeable impact on people’s future.
References
Bento, G., & Dias, G. (2017). The importance of outdoor play for young children’s healthy development. Porto Biomedical Journal, 2(5), 157–160. Web.
Runcan, R., & Druşcă, O. (2019). Social work and family relationships: Impact of paternal education on teenage girls. Social Work Review, 2(1), 67–84.
Verdon, S., Mackenzie, N., McLeod, S., Davidson, C., Masso, S., Verdon, L., & Edwards-Groves, C. (2017). Assessment of children as effective communicators in early childhood education and care: A literature review. Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, 1(1), 2–41.