References Used

References

Athealth. (2012, March 28). Parenting Style and Its Correlates.  Retrieved from http://www.athealth.com/Practitioner/ceduc/parentingstyles.html

Cherry, K. Parenting Styles. (n.d).  Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/parenting-style.htm

Cladera, Y. M., Hart, S. (2004). Exposure to child care, parenting style and attachment security. Infant & Child Development, 13(1), 21-33. doi:10.1002/icd.329

Gartstein, M., Gonzalez, C., Carranza, J., Ahadi, S., Ye, R., Rothbart, M., & Yang, S. (n.d). Studying cross-cultural differences in the development of infant temperament: People's Republic of China, the United States of America, and Spain. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 37(2), 145-161.

Karras, J. & Braungart-Rieker, J. (2005) Effects of shared parent–infant book reading on early language acquisition. Retrieved from http://www.temple.edu/devscilab/732_wiki/Karrass.2005.pdf

Learning Seed. (n.d). Infants: Social and emotional development. Retrieved from http://www.learningseed.com/_guides/1012_Infants_Social_and_Emotional_Development_Guide.pdf

To wrap it all up

There are several ways to raise a child. Who is to say that one way is right over another? There are basic needs that are required to be met, but to be a parent is much more than that. I am a stronger believer that mistakes will be made. I don’t think there is a single parent on the planet that doesn’t wish they had done something differently at some point. I think, and hope, it is about how you recover from your mistakes and grow as a parent. Every parent tries to give their child unconditional love, try to teach them from right and wrong, and hope they become productive members of society, that is all you can hope for your child. Getting them there is a full time job in its own, which is truly the best job in the world.

Development is Important

Helping infants and toddlers develop their gross and fine motor skills is a daily adventure. Just as we must go to work, infants must play. By keeping infants stimulated they are not only playing, they are also learning and growing. Just as important as the motor skills, parents play a vital role in the cognitive development of infants and children. An infant’s early verbal interactions come from everyone, a common saying has been heard throughout the United States, and they are like “little sponges”. Every little action helps infants develop their skills. Heath states “it is beneficial as well for infants to be able to see parents’ mouth as they form words.” (Heath p.151) An infant learning to use their verbal skills is a skill that not only helps when they start school, but it is also helpful for communicating their desires and playing. Reading has also been proven to be another very important use of communicating with infants and young children. Not only has reading been used to help develop these very important skills, it is also a wise tool to use in relaxing a child to get them ready for bed. With children everything ties back into itself.

Becoming Parents

The transition into parenthood is sometimes a seeming less change that happens overnight, while in other instance the transition is painstaking. In my opinion most of the transition mindsets depend on what is going on in the new parent’s lives. This is why the planning stage is such an important part. I’m sure the new crying infant can sometimes be over whelming, but that innocent little baby is depending on the parent to care for them. With that being said,  a woman becomes a parent the moment she finds out she is expecting. If it was a planned pregnancy, then hopefully she was taking actions prior to trying to conceive. Actions like losing or gaining weight, stop drinking, smoking, and the use of drugs, even doing things like eating nutritiously are very good ideas. All of these seemingly little things can help get the body ready to carry a healthy baby to full term. Once the pregnancy has been confirmed if these actions haven't been taken, they should be taken immediately. Anything that can be done to help aid in the healthy development of a baby should be the primary goal.

The social and emotional development of infants and toddlers is imperative. In the early years children are so impressionable. By starting early to help an infant feel secure has been proven to aid the child being more exploratory at a younger age. According to Heath (Heath p. 136) there are enormous long and short term benefits to parental sensitivity and infant attachment. These range from less crying to being more social as young. Infants that are securely attached are able to explore their world without fear. When stressful situations occur that can use an attachment figure such as a blanky or special toy to help calm themselves. About 65% of all infant are securely attached. These infants grow into toddlers and preschoolers that are more advanced than those that aren't. It has actually been said that teachers and care givers prefer securely attached children. Obviously that is because they aren't as needy, fussy, or nervous. 

Cultural

     Cultural variations are also a key player in parenting patterns. Children raised in the United States have a very different up brining compared to those that are non-Western. If a deeper look is taken, even European children, who are considered “Western”, are raised very differently.

     Traditional Parenting Patterns and Racial Socialization is another strong component of parenting. With exception of Native American’s all American’s can trace their lineage back to another country. (Heath p 42) This being said everyone has different believes that drive their parenting styles.

     When I hit “search” using any search engine there are thousands of documents and articles that came up offering techniques, thoughts, and scientific proof as to how a child should be raised. There has been years of research done to support many different methods, who’s to say what method is right and what one is wrong as long as the child is loved and has their basic needs met.

Parenting Styles

There are six distinct parenting patterns. Each parenting style has a different effect on children, which can be seen and pinpointed depending on which parenting style was primarily used.

Below is a breakdown of the different styles with the effects.

Authoritarian - This brings an entire new meaning to the word “strict”. This parenting style is probably one of the hardest. Parents that use this style believe strongly in the hierarchy system and children have their place. They are forceful, and use punishment, and public shame as a means to control their children. There will not be any conversations as to why a task needs to be done; the term “because I said so” is more than sufficient. Children that are raised by this style tend to be “dependent, passive, conforming, less self-assured, less creative, and less socially adept.” (Heath p 32) They also are more prone to having relationship problems along with being at higher risk for substance abuse and crime.

Permissive – This style of parenting is rather relaxed. The parents don’t give many household duties, and they lack enforcing a routine and consistency. According to Heath this parents are typically unorganized and are ineffective at running their households. Children for the most part are allowed to behave as they like, resulting in lower academic achievement and lack of control over their impulses.

Indulgent – The good thing about Indulgent parenting is that they have been known to have the highest interaction with their children. On the other hand they are completely relaxed and are considered to be “push overs”. Indulgent parents to not set limits or enforce rules, they are the parents that I’m sure many children wish they had. The thought behind discipline is that they could potentially damage the child’s developing creativity. There are some negative effects of being raised by this style is that they children learn to be manipulative of others and “they tend to be irresponsible and immature.” (Heath p. 35)

Indifferent – This is probably the saddest parenting style there is. Indifferent parents for whatever reasons do not care. They do not provide any of the basic time or energy that helps children become well rounded adults. Not much is expected from the child, and discipline is a word that is unheard of. Children of indifferent parents have a list of potential issues ranging from low self-esteem, aggressiveness, and antisocial behavior problems. (Heath p 36)

Overprotective – This style of parenting is only recently becoming a “concern”, which in turn it is still relatively new to being studied. In many cases there are additional underlying factors that have caused the parent to be overprotective, which is considered acceptable by society. Sometimes the overprotection might drive from that parent’s inability “to exert their authority over a generation of youth”. (Heath p 37) There are 2 primary ways children that are raised by overprotective parents turn out. They can either be much more timid with most things, such as interactions, and life in general, or they can be completely wild. After many years of being told “No”,when a child of an overprotective parent gets “free”, the possibilities are endless.

And finally the parenting style I’m sure we all wish could/would/should be

Authoritative – These parents have found a way to balance nurturance, discipline and respect. The communication factor found in this style is what I would strive to achieve. They are controlling and demanding, while also being nurturing. There is respect that can be shared on both sides, the parent giving the child respect and the child respecting the parent. Obedience, standards and behavioral guidelines are all topics that can be discussed and agreed upon. Typically children from have more positive outcomes. (Heath, p 29)

Parenting is learning

People say that parenting is a natural instinct that just comes when you have a baby, in all actuality parenting is a learned trait. I am going to be covering chapters two and five from Phyllis Heath’s Parent-Child Relations. There are quite a few reasons why I chose to look more in-depth at these two chapters. Being that I am a new mother, I found the different parenting styles fascinating and I feel that the early years is where the foundation is laid. Years down the road I will probably find this thought both young and silly. I also feel the information covered is very beneficial to new parents. Learning the different parenting styles and effects will hopefully aid in making and educated decision on how I am going to raise my daughter.