Neglectful Parenting Style and its Impact on the Upbringing of the Girl child as Depicted in M.E. Wanda’s Kunjalo-ke

The upbringing of a child plays a critical role in shaping their personality, behavior, and overall development. This process entails the act of nurturing and guiding a child to maturity. It encompasses emotional, social, and intellectual support parents or caregivers provide for children. Neglectful parenting, however, a style characterised by a lack of responsiveness, attention, and emotional involvement by parents, poses significant challenges, particularly to the girl child. This paper explores the impact of this type of parenting style on the upbringing of the girl child through the lenses of social learning theory. It highlights the evident challenges and long-term consequences as depicted in M.E. Wanda’s novel, Kunjalo-ke. The article examines the immediate and lasting effects of neglectful parenting. This includes lack of trust, impaired social development and poor academic performance, lack of emotional security and identity formation, sense of deceptiveness, and intergenerational trauma.