The age of the child as a modus of the parent-child relationship

In the article the author analyzes age as a modus of the parent-child relationship. From this point of view the child's age is considered as a factor of change of the characteristics of the parent-child relationship. It is known that new life conditions start influencing the parent-child relationship when entering into school. Both the occurrence and resolution of crises of the parent-child relationship are connected with their constant change as the child grows, and also with the inevitable separation of the child from parents. Thus, the parent-child relationship gains a certain specificity of development depending on the age of its subjects. The author analyzes classical studies devoted to the problematics of child development and the experience of age crises. At the same time the author pays attention to modern social realities influencing a child's behavior and vectors of the parent-child relationship which are considered from the point of view of the evaluative-emotional component, development of game and social activity of the child. The author draws a significant conclusion that the crisis of preschool development can be rather mild. The parent-child relationship is the factor determining features of the crisis. Psychological support for the child, emotional intimacy, sincere interest in the child's successes and failures, parents' care and attention make the experience of crisis as “painless” as possible. This harmonizes the parent-child relationship and positively affects the development of the family as a social institution. Thus, a new approach to optimization of the child's personal development is required in modern conditions. This is possible if to consider the child's age as a factor determining the type, nature and specificity of the parent-child relationship.