A responsibility is something for which an individual is responsible for. It can be thought of as duties or roles that need to be performed. Parents have a responsibility to look after their dependent, as 0-5 year old dependents have not yet developed the skills required to satisfy their needs and wants. Hence parents need to make decisions on their dependents behalf to ensure that their needs are met. Some responsibilities of parents include them meeting their children’s basic needs, providing love and affection, protecting their children from harm and many more. The purpose of parents having responsibilities towards their dependent is to make sure the dependents needs are met and hence allows parents to contribute in building a positive relationship with the dependent.
The three main elements that parents have responsibilities towards their dependents in order to contribute in building a positive relationship with them are:
- Duty of care
- Setting limits
- Discipline