THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN FORMING CHILDREN'S CHARACTERS

Abstract

The role of parents in shaping children’s character is increasingly important amid rapid social, cultural, and technological changes. This article presents a systematic literature review of studies published between 2022 and 2026 to analyze how parenting practices contribute to children’s character development. The findings show that parenting style, parental involvement, communication, emotional support, and role modeling significantly influence children’s moral values, behavior, and social development. Authoritative parenting is consistently identified as the most effective approach in fostering responsibility, empathy, discipline, and emotional regulation. In addition, digital technology creates both opportunities and challenges, requiring parents to apply digital parenting strategies and strengthen digital literacy. The review also highlights the importance of collaboration between parents and schools in ensuring consistent character education across home and educational settings. Despite contextual challenges such as limited time and socioeconomic pressures, effective parenting remains a key determinant of successful character formation. Guided by Social Learning Theory, children develop character primarily through observation and imitation of parental behavior.