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Parenting

Parenting comprises all the tasks involved in raising a child to an independent adult. Parenting begins even before the child is born and may last until the death of the parent or child. Parenting is a part of the relationship within a family.

Contents

Aspects of parenting

Culture

Parenting is highly dependent on culture. For example, North Americans often clearly define 18 as the age of adulthood and children are expected to leave home around that age and support themselves. Oriental culture does not have such a clear boundary. Traditionally, children would live with parents in multi-generation homes and be "parented" even as they become parents themselves.

The decision to circumcise a child is highly dependent on the culture of the parents and the country to which they are born. In the United States, where male babies are routinely circumcised in many hospitals, parents solely are the ones to make the decision whether or not their son should be circumcised. Today, most obstetric and pediatric professionals will follow the parents' decision either way.

Discipline

Parenting may involve praise but also punishment, for instance putting a child over the knee for a spanking. 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.

Pregnancy and the early years

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 pregnany woman can have either a positive or negative impact on the child.

During infancy

Specific care includes:

  • providing food and drinks, and in the case of small children, the process of feeding or helping with that;
  • providing a toilet and facilities for washing, and in the case of small children, the washing itself or helping with that, and providing diapers or helping using the toilet;
  • providing clothing, and in the case of small children, putting the clothes on and taking them off or helping with that;

School years

Assistance

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

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.

See also

External links

  • BBC's parenting web site http://www.bbc.co.uk/parenting/
  • BBC h2g2 Guide to Life, the Universe and Everything: Families http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/C21
  • Parenting Style and Its Correlates http://www.ericdigests.org/1999-4/parenting.htm
  • Parenting and Career Development http://www.ericdigests.org/2001-1/career.html
  • The Changing Face of Parenting Education http://www.ericdigests.org/1996-1/face.htm
  • If an Adolescent Begins To Fail in School, What Can Parents and Teachers Do? http://www.ericdigests.org/1998-2/fail.htm


Last updated: 02-08-2005 06:45:21
Last updated: 02-20-2005 07:20:02