Some people believe that the experiences children have before they go to school will have the greatest effect on their future life. Others argue that experiences gained when they are teenagers have a bigger influence. Discuss both views and give your opinions.

Experiences

and learning are important aspects of a

child

's upbringing, as they can have far-reaching consequences on the development and

future

, especially for youngsters. While some argue that preschool

experiences

, mainly the informal education by parents or guardians, have the biggest impact on the

child

's

future

, others opine that teenage school

experiences

, majorly the formal education system and accompanied teenage

peer

pressure

, have the greatest

future

influence

on children. In

this

essay, I will discuss the above views and posit that both

experiences

equally impact the

child

's

future

.

To begin

, young children learn a lot by observing their parents, guardians and in fact any adult around them.

This

is how

first

language skills are learnt in the home. As the saying goes, "charity begins at home", the responsibility of parents is to mentor and train the

child

in good, socially acceptable ethical and religious values and characters.

For example

, respect for others and constituted authority, hard work, hygiene, religious ethic and ethos, which greatly

influence

a person's

future

, are imbibed at

this

stage of life.

Therefore

, preschool

experiences

play a very important role in influencing the

child

's

future

.

On the other hand

, teenage

experiences

in elementary school and by

peer

-

pressure

also

have a very big effect on the

future

of children. The saying "show me your friend and I will tell you who you are" indicates the importance of

this

influence

. As much as our families shape who we are, friends are responsible for a big portion of whom we have become and who we will be.

This

influence

is mostly seen in teenagers who use the boarding school system or university campus hostel system.

Although

peer

pressure

can have negative influences,

for example

, teenage smoking and drug abuse, it could

also

have positive influences if the right association is made.

Therefore

, teenage

peer

pressure

goes a long way to

influence

their

future

. In conclusion, it is my opinion that preschool and

peer

pressure

influences, to an equal degree, impact the

future

of youngsters.