CHARACTER EDUCATION SINCE EARLY CHILDHOOD IN FAMILY

Abstract

Children are the future investment that must be developed optimally without, the praper stimulus from their parents, which carried the potential for children from birth will not be able to develop optimally. Parents play an important role in Character Education because parents are child’s first teachers and moral education. Education as a moral enterprise should play its role more serious, especially in character building. Character building helps to shape children attitudes and behaviors. Therefore, it is necessary to develop character education beginning from early age.  As stated in law no 20 year 2003 on National Education System that the National Education Functions is developing the ability shaping the nation’s character as well as the civilization of dignity in the framework of the intellectual life of nation (Depdiknas, 2003). But in reality was opposite. This phenomenon can be answered by optimizing the function of family, centering on the parents. The concept that early childhood education is the golden age. The role of parents in early childhood character building begin since   the child is born, parents should be able to love and care for children in accordance with the characteristics and developments tasks. Parenting patterns greatly affect the character education in the family, as we all know the parenting that are usually applied in Indonesia are democratic, authoritarian and permissive parenting. One of them that is applied greatly affects the character education in the family. Baumrind developed 3 types of parenting style which are democratic parenting, authoritarian, and the last the permissive style. Eleanor Maccoby & John Martin (1983) added one type parenting style. Neglecting type (ignore). The neglecting type is showing low of mother’s acceptance and the control of parents to child behavior (Bee & Boyd, 2007). Education in the family is the thing that is important to remember the early childhood family education is the largest potion of which will be embedded in the child.