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Approaches to Parenting

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Define Terms1. Authoritarian

2. Democratic

3. Goal

4. Parenting style

5. Permissive

6. personality

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Sharing Ideas• Can teen parents be as consistent and effective as older parents when their personalities are developing?

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What Influences Parenting?

• The kind of person you are and the experiences you have will help shape the parent you become.

• YOU HAVE CONTROL OVER YOUR APPROACH TO PARENTING!

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Personal Influences on Parenting

1. Personality – your special blend of intellectual, emotional, and social traits

2. Feelings About Children – those who like children have a built-in incentive to be good parents; beliefs about children and childhood influence the environment you create.

3. Parenting Values - What’s important?

4. Reaching Goals – A parenting goal affects the way you parent.

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Outside Influences on Parenting

1. Families and Culture – the way people live; linked to locations, religions, and ethnic heritage. The foods you eat, the language you speak, and the customs you follow are all part of your cultural background.

WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF CULTURAL INFLUENCES REGARDED TO PARENTHOOD?

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2. Economic Conditions – individual and social

3. Social Policies – protective laws are enacted to insure that parents live up to their responsibilities. These include:

welfare domestic relations

violence child abuse

divorce adoption

child care

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4. Parental Roles –

• Social change affects ideas about parenting

• Duties were clearly divided by gender• Views on parenting are influenced by

the model seen at home and the changing cultural trends and values.

5. Theories – studies and beliefs of psychologists used to explain child behavior and development; one theory fully accounts for all behavior.

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• Child development authorities use development theory – a combination of several theories to explain children’s behavior.

• AGE AND STAGES – developmental theories distinguish between ages (the length of a child’s life at a given point in time), stages (the periods of development that children go through as they mature).

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Age Categories:

♥ Infant – birth to the first birthday

♥ Toddler – age one to the third birthday

♥ Preschooler – age three to the fifth birthday

♥ school-age – age five to puberty

♥ adolescent – puberty to adulthood

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Influential Theorists in Child Development

Summarize the theories of the following psychologists:

1. Erik Erikson – personality2. Jean Piaget – intellect3. Urie Bronfenbrenner – human development4. Lev Vygotsky – social learning5. Lawrence Kohlberg – moral reasoning6. Sigmund Freud – psychiatry7. Maria Montessori – education8. Robert Coles – moral development9. B.F. Skinner – behavior10. Albert Bandura – social learning

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Developing a Parenting Style

THE WAY A PARENT CONSITENTLY INTERACTS WITH CHILDREN:

1. Authoritarian – strong leaders; set certain standards for behavior; children feel secure; parents are in charge; children may meet with limited failure and disappointment.

2. Democratic – children deserve a say in matters; try to look at individual circumstances when making decisions; children move easily toward independence.

3. Permissive - allows children the greatest freedom of the three types; set fewer rules but make their expectations known; let children experience the consequences of their choices; children tend to rely on their own abilities.

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Identify Parenting Styles

•See p. 65

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Making Parenting Styles Work

♥ Choose a style that feels right for you

♥ Consider the child’s personality

♥ Use each style in moderation

♥ Identify areas where two parents’ styles conflict

♥ Blend styles

♥ Form a parenting philosophy

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“If you don’t’ know where you’re

going, you might wind up

someplace else.”

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Conclusion:

• Everything you learn about parenting will help shape your thinking

• Being true to your beliefs and values will help you wind up where you want to be as a parent, and not “someplace else.”