'부모'개념에 관한 생태학적 해석

An Ecological Interpretation on the Concept of Parents

This paper, based on the ecological world view, reexamines the concept of parents in order to find out solutions to the problems and limitations that today's parents have. The ecological world view starts from a recent ecological crisis of earth and has attempted to change the way of life and a world view basically. It can be a point of view that examines the status and the role of today's parents with a critical eye. First, parents is not only biological parents, but also nature and universe. From an ecological point of view, the role of parents including pregnancy, childbirth, nurture and teaching is not only for biological parents, but also for nature. Nature and parents have to do that role together because human is born by the principle of universe and can survive only with nature. Second, one of import parents' role is connecting their children with the outer world. The outer world means nature and society. In the modern society children can't come in touch with nature in their daily life. So parents have to make an environment intentionally where their children can commune with nature. The reason why parents have to have their children commune with nature is not because nature is beautiful. It is because they can meet a transcendental being above human being from nature. And parents are person who help children to make human relations, including family, relative, friend, neighbor and community, which supports their growth. As a nuclear family and parentless family is growing, making a social network is very important part for maintaining family healthy and for flexible children's growth. Third, from an ecological point of view, the virtue that parents have to have is self-examination. Not only children, but also parents have to make an effort at a personal growth through self-examination. Eventually it is because parents and children grow up together by helping each other. So parents' efforts for self-examination and self-education are the important process for their children's education. In these days of educational problems caused by weak parents' role, including the lack of home education, overprotection, family egotism. Above issues make us review what is needed for a right role of parents.