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.