Band 7 essay sample: Should children be disciplined?
These essays are written by our students and may contain spelling and grammar mistakes. These are merely provided as samples.
Essay prompt
Some people believe that parents should enforce strict rules of conduct on their children. Others are more in favor of allowing them what they want to do. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Student’s response
The degree of discipline shown by a child may vary according to the culture in which he is raised. For example, it is observed that Asian families usually enforce strict rules on their children, whereas European children are allowed to make choices. However, researchers believe that the optimum level of discipline is somewhere between the two extremes.
In western societies, children are pretty much allowed to follow their desires and wishes. The effect of such an approach of parenting is embodied in the culture of individualism that is rampant in western societies. Also, due to the sphere of freedom offered by western parents, children are likely to become creative workers. This explains the fact that most innovation originates from the west.
On the other hand, in the eastern societies, strict discipline causes the child to have values such as perseverance, hard work and fair play instilled in them. In a recent study, it had been shown that Asian children are likely to perform better than their western counterparts in hard subjects such as science and mathematics. Such an astounding performance is a fruit of the Asian culture.
However, strict discipline may shatter a child’s self-esteem. In addition to having confidence issues, a child is likely to have impaired decision making abilities. Thus, a child who is brought up in a strict environment would be incapable of becoming a leader.
In conclusion, I believe that it is of paramount importance that a child should have his own way sometimes. However, parents should always be a beacon of guidance for him so that he may not go astray from the right path to success.
