In the recent past, parents, especially in the developed countries, have opted to use day care centers and other foster institutions to provide care for their children. Taking a child to a day care center has an impact on the child’s psychological development. Studies have been conducted to explore the impact of taking children to day care centers. The argument has mostly centered on whether children who attend day care centers would be able to relate to their parents effectively. In my opinion, taking children to day care centers before they reach the age of three years tends to be psychologically damaging. This emanates from the fact that the care children receive from their parents can be regarded as instrumental in their psychological development. In their first three years, children should develop intimate relationships with their parents. Thus, taking children to a day care center during the first three years detaches them from their parents (Berger, 2011).
Parents play a central role in the cognitive and linguistic development of children, especially during the first few years of the child’s life. The quality of relationships between children and their parents largely depends on time parents spend with them when they are young. Therefore, parents should take the initiative of caring for their children during the first three years rather than take children to day care centers. This will ensure that the relationship between parents and children is cemented. Moreover, it is essential for a child to feel and experience the love of his or her parents at a young age as opposed to being taken care of by other people. As a result, a child will develop affection towards his/her parents and treat them as significant persons. This is contrary to the idea ofusing a day care institution during the first three years of their life (Berger, 2011).