Parenting

From Free net encyclopedia

Parenting is the process of raising and educating a child from birth until adulthood. This is usually done in a child's family by the mother and father (i.e., the biological parents). Where parents are unable or unwilling to provide this care, it is usually taken on by close relatives (including older siblings) and grandparents, adoptive parents, foster parents, godparents, or institutions (such as group homes or orphanages). Parens patriae refers to the public policy power of the state to usurp the rights of the natural parent, legal guardian or informal carer, and to act as the parent of any child or individual who is in need of protection.

1 Aspects of parenting
- 1.1 Parenting Methods and Practices
2 Pregnancy and the Early Years
3 Preschool and School Years
- 3.1 Preschool Parenting
- 3.2 School Years
4 Assistance
5 Observers
6 Parenting assessment
7 See also
8 External links

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Aspects of parenting

Physical care:
- Reliably providing shelter, education, medical care, physical safety and nourishment.
Social development and emotional support:
- Love, play and physical touch.
- Social skills and etiquette.
- Ethics and value systems.
- Moral and spiritual development.
- Norms and contributions to the child's religion and ethnic customs.
Financial support:
- Money provided by non-custodial parents, following a divorce.
- Insurance coverage and payments for education.

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Parenting Methods and Practices

Parenting may involve praise, but it also involves punishment. Some parents no longer consider spanking a necessary punishment. The term "child training" implies a specific type of parenting that focuses on holistic understanding of the child. The "Taking Children Seriously" philosophy sees both praise and punishment as manipulative and harmful to the child and seeks other way to reach agreement with them. The term "attachment parenting" seeks to create strong emotional bonds and avoid physical punishment, with discipline being accommodated by interactions with a child's emotional needs.

Discipline:
- Time-out
- Spanking
- Taking Children Seriously (TCS) philosophy
- Parental supervision

Parenting fundamentals:

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Pregnancy and the Early Years

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Pregnancy and Prenatal Parenting

During pregnancy the unborn child is affected by many decisions his or her parents make, particularly choices linked to their lifestyle. The health and diet decisions of the mother can have either a positive or negative impact on the child.

Many people believe that parenting begins with birth, but the mother begins raising and nurturing a child well before birth. Scientific evidence indicates that from the sixth month on (and possibly earlier)the unborn baby is able to feel, hear, sense, be aware of, and possibly remember. Based on this evidence a mother begins parenting before birth.

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Parenting Infants

Being the parent of an Infant is a huge responsability. Infants require a lot of care including (but not limited to) feeding, bathing, changing diapers, attending to their wellness. Common parenting issues in infancy:

Infant care:

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Parenting Toddlers

Parenting a Toddler is a lot of work. Parenting responsabilities during the toddler years include (but are not limited to) feeding, bathing, potty training, ensuring their safety, teaching, and attending to their wellness. Common parenting issues with toddlers:

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Preschool and School Years

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Preschool Parenting

Parenting responsabilities for preschool age children often include (but are not limited to)feeding, bathing,teaching, ensuring their safety, and attending to their wellness. Parents are expected to make decisions about preschool education. Issues related to parenting preschool age children:

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School Years

Parenting responsabilities during the school years include (but are not limited to) feeding, assisting with education, ensuring their safety and wellness, and providing them with a loving and nuturing home environment. Issues related to parenting school age children:

Education:

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Assistance

Parents may receive assistance from a variety of individuals and organizations. Employers may offer specific benefits or programs for parents.

Parental leave

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Observers

Benjamin Spock was an authority on parenting to a generation of North American parents. A current authority is T. Berry Brazelton, the founder of the Child Development Unit at Children's Hospital, Boston, and Professor of Pediatrics Emeritus at Harvard Medical School.

Also see James Dobson

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Parenting assessment

There are several parent self-report measures that have been developed for use by clinicians and researchers to assess parenting, such as the Parenting Stress Index (PSI; Abidin, 1995) and Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI; Bavolek, 1984). Parenting measures can also be observational, such as the Parent-Child Interaction Assessment-II (PCIA-II; Holigrocki, Kaminski, & Frieswyk, 1999).

See:

Abidin, R. (1995). Parenting Stress Index: Professional Manual. 3rd Ed. Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.

Bavolek, S. J. (1984). Handbook for the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory. Eau Claire, Wisconsin: Family Development Associates, Inc.

Holigrocki, R. J, Kaminski, P. L., & Frieswyk, S. H. (1999). Introduction to the Parent-Child Interaction Assessment. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, 63(3), 413–428.

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