It is generally accepted that the experiences of the child in his first years largely dete

rmine his character and later personality. Every experience teaches the child something and the effects are cumulative. "Upbringing" is normally used to refer to the treatment and training of the child within the home. This is closely related to the treatment and training of the child in school, which is usually distinguished by the term "education". In a society such as ours, both parents and teachers are responsible for the opportunities provided for the development of the child, so that upbringing and education are interdependent.

The ideals and practices of child rearing vary from culture to culture. In general, the more rural the community, the more uniform. are the customs of child upbringing. In more technologically developed societies, the period of childhood and adolescence(青春期) tends to be extended over a long time, resulting in more opportunity for education and greater variety in character development.

Early upbringing in the home is naturally affected both by the cultural pattern of the community and by the parents' capabilities and their aims and depends not only on upbringing and education but also on the innate abilities of the child. Wide differences of innate intelligence and temperament exist even in children of the same family.

Intelligent parents, however, realize that the particular setting of each family is unique, and there can be no rigid(严格的) general rules. They use general information only as a guide in making decisions and solving problems.

All parents have to solve the problems of freedom and discipline. The younger the child, the more readily the mother gives in to his demands to avoid disappointing him. She knows that if his energies are not given an outlet, her child's continuing development may be warped.

A child must be allowed to enjoy this "messy" but tactile stage of discovery before he is ready to go on to the less physical pleasures of toys and books. Similarly, throughout life. each stage depends on the satisfactory completion of the one before.

It's a general belief that a child's later character and personality is ______ decided by his early experiences both at home and in school.

A．chiefly

B．by chance

C．entirely

D．seldom