Parental custody

In the law, only two individuals are recognized as parents, duly registered as mother or father in the birth certificate and other civil status documents, and based on these, in other official documents. The legislator's intention is that parents are the individuals from whom someone actually and directly descends. Thus, the woman who gives birth to the child is registered as the mother in the civil status document, along with the man with whom the mother conceived the child. While according to the Latin maxim "mater semper certa est" (maternity does not need to be proven, the mother is always certain), paternity may raise doubts, which are mainly prevented by presumptions of paternity in favor of the mother's husband or another man cohabiting with her. Other legal institutions that can establish or deny the status of a father include acknowledging the child, establishing and denying paternity. In exceptional situations, maternity can also be established or denied. Finally, for a child of unknown origin, fictitious parents are entered into the birth certificate.

Parental Authority: Parental authority refers to the rights and obligations that a guardian has towards a minor, related to upbringing, care of their property, and legal representation. Parental authority generally belongs to both parents.

Parental Attitude: The most widespread definition of attitude in psychology indicates that it is a tendency to behave in a specific way towards a person, situation, problem, or, more generally, any object to which it is directed. In light of this, parental attitude, both maternal and paternal, can be considered a tendency to behave in a specific way towards the child.

We can distinguish appropriate and inappropriate parental attitudes. Appropriate parental attitudes include:

1. Acceptance of the Child: Accepting the child as they are, with their physical traits, temperament, mental abilities, and difficulties in certain areas. Parents convey love, appreciation, understanding the child's needs, and strive to fulfill them. In such a family, the child feels secure, is happy, forms lasting emotional bonds, can express their feelings, and is cheerful, pleasant, and brave.

2. Collaboration with the Child: Demonstrating interest in what the child does. Parents involve the child in activities appropriate to their developmental abilities. The child has the right to express their own opinions, decide on matters related to close people, and feels needed and valuable in the family.

3. Granting Reasonable Freedom: Parents trust the child and allow them a significant degree of freedom. However, they maintain their authority and guide the child appropriately. A child from such a family is sharp, resourceful, and collaborates with peers.

4. Recognition of the Child's Rights: Parents allow the child to act independently and make them understand that they are responsible for the results of their actions. They guide the child through suggestions, explanations, and joint agreements on their rights and duties. The child knows exactly what is expected of them given their developmental abilities. A child from such a family is independent, loyal, and cooperative.

Inappropriate parental attitudes include:

1. Rejecting Attitude: Characterized by excessive emotional distance and domination by parents. The child is perceived as a burden and triggers dislike. Parents openly criticize the child, do not allow them to speak, apply harsh punishments, and behave brutally.

2. Avoiding Attitude: Characterized by excessive emotional distance, parental passivity, and submission to the child. Parents show carelessness bordering on irresponsibility, ignore the child, neglect them emotionally and in terms of care, and impose no requirements on the child. Children from such families show lack of perseverance, distrust, fear, and conflict in their relationships with others.

3. Excessively Demanding Attitude: Manifests as parental dominance in dealing with the child. Parents force the child to conform to their created pattern, without considering the child's capabilities, without recognizing their rights, and without respecting their individuality. They impose exaggerated demands, restrict the child's autonomy and freedom, and impose their will through coercion, the use of reprimands, and rigid rules of conduct. Children from such families exhibit lack of faith in their own abilities, uncertainty, fearfulness, submissiveness, oversensitivity, and lack of ability to concentrate.

4. Excessively Protective Attitude: Parents have an uncritical approach to the child, considering them a model of perfection. They submit to the child, tolerate their inappropriate behavior, fulfill every whim, let the child dominate the entire family, and are overly caring and protective, hindering the child's independence. Children from such families show delayed social maturity, passivity, conceit, a sense of greater value, excessive self-confidence, dependence on the mother, and inflexibility.