Approaches to ParentingChapter 3

What Influences Parenting?

Personal Influences on Parenting

Personality Your special blend of intellectual, emotional,

and social traits. A parent’s personality has strong impact of

children. Positive and negative Some can hurt their child.

Temper Cold and Distant

You can change bad traits.

Feelings About Children Do you want children? Beliefs about children and childhood

influence the environment you create Your own memories of growing up will help

you decide these and similar issues.

Parenting Values What values are more important?

Money Quality Education Health

Parenting Goals

Goal: a conscious target that requires planning and effort to reach. Having your child go to college.

Parents who don’t set goals my drift.

Outside Influences On Parenting

Families and Culture The way people live.

Location Religions Ethnic heritage The food you eat and the words you speak.

Economic Conditions Two levels

Individual The strain of making financial ends meet can be

hard on a parent. Less time to spend with children and caring for the

home.

Money is not the key to happiness, but it does offer security and opportunity!

Social Economic changes can affect a family’s

finances.

Social Policies Following rules Protective laws are enacted to insure that

parents live up to their responsibilities. Welfare Domestic relations Violence Child abuse Divorce Adoption Care care

Changing Gender Roles Old Days

Mothers provided daily child care. Fathers earned the family’s income.

Now Both parents work

They both share house work and child care responsibilities.

Theories

Theories deal with different areas of development.

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

Ages and Stages

Ages is the length of a child’s life at a given point in time.

Stages is the periods of development that children go through as they mature.

Infant = Birth to 1 Toddler = 1-3 Preschooler = 3-5 School-Age = 5-Puberty Adolescent = Puberty – Adulthood

Developing a Parenting Style

Different Parenting Styles

Authoritarian Strong leaders Make most decisions concerning their

children Believe in setting certain standards for

behavior and expect children to meet them. How children feel:

Secure Know what is allowed and is not

Democratic Believes that children deserve a say in

matters that affect them. Children have a voice in making rules and

deciding the penalty. Look at individual circumstances. Children make their own mistakes and learn

from them. Learn independence Can make decisions easily.

Permissive Allows children the greatest freedom of the

three types. Children get all the decision making

responsibility they can handle with guidance and protection when needed.

Few rules Fewer penalties

Children tend to develop and rely on their own abilities

Making Parenting Styles Work

Choose a style that feels right for you. Do what makes you comfortable.

Consider the child’s personality.

Use each style in moderation.

Identify areas where two parents’ style conflict.

Blending Styles Parents adapt their actions to the situation. Ages

Being Predictable Children need to know what to expect from

parents. They learn to advantage of the situation.