Chapter 1 The Evolving Context of Parenting (311)

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1 Chapter 1 The Evolving Context of Parenting Parenthood • Originally, parenthood referred predominantly to the biological dimension of procreation. Having offspring; a next generation to carry on the family lineage. • Parents are responsible for socialization: nurturing, teaching and acting as guardians. – Infants do not have fully developed brains at birth and depend on adults for protection. – Parents are held directly responsible for their children from infancy, until children reach the age of legal majority. • Parents are considered to be a child’s primary teacher. – Educational and social institutions support parents as a child becomes older. Coparenting • Coparenting refers to the various people who team up and collaborate in the parenting process. – Can include biological parents, supportive family members/friends, and other adults who play a key role in parenting. – It represents a serious and ongoing commitment to the parenting of a specific child. • A coparent is characterized by two lead factors: 1. Has executive function. 2. Has an emotional attachment/commitment to the child concerned. Parenting Education • Currently, no state or federal statute requires individuals to have training to become parents other than for special circumstances (e.g., foster parents). – Is it realistic and feasible to license parents for this task? • Current guidelines for parenting vary based on outcomes of research findings and understanding of contemporary parenting roles. • Parenthood is developmental; it changes over time. The Parenting Role • According to the ecological perspective, developmental changes take place within the context of interactions occurring in changing environmental systems. • The parent-child relationship is bidirectional, meaning both parent and child are active contributors in the relationship.

2 Dimensions of the Parenting Role • The four dimensions of the parenting role: – Family as a System – parenthood is a subsystem of the larger social system. – Bidirectional Relationship – both parents and children actively participate and have mutual influence. – Developmental and Lifespan – parenting is a developmental role and a lifespan pursuit. – Social Construct – parenthood is a social construct. The parental role is a social institution based on complex values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors. Influences in the Parenting Style • Past experiences influence parenting behavior. • The child also contributes; partly determined by the nature and needs of the child. • Factors that combine to influence parenting style are: – Family-of-origin influences. The model of parental behavior experienced in the family of origin. – Sociocultural influences. Social class, background, values, beliefs, education. – Bidirectional influences. The ways children and parents influence each other. – Developmental time. Synchrony of parental style and child’s developmental stage. – Personality, temperament. Factors that are unique to parent and child. – Family Structure. Family composition and membership. Interacting Factors Influencing Parental Style

3 Social Factors Affecting Parenthood (1 of 4) Twentieth Century and Current Trends • Approaches eased up from restrictive authoritarian to increasingly permissive. • Physical punishment is increasingly discouraged, and often unlawful. • Greater emphasis on psychologically inspired techniques, referencing approaches in counseling, and best outcomes based on research. • Behavior modification (and cognitive behavioral approaches) based on positive reinforcement, especially in educational contexts. The Impact of Contemporary Social Issues • Gender equality movement: – Shared economic roles of partners are closely linked to shared parenting roles. Parenting expectations for both women and men have changed. • Public education, violence, addiction disorders, and economic challenges: – Record number of children being raised in poverty. – Challenging employment prospects for young adults. • Worldwide terrorist acts changed our world view and sense of safety. – Military families deeply affected. The Impact of Contemporary Social Issues • Technology – Has changed communication patterns, education, and family life. – Information overload. – Less real-life face time with others. • Privacy – Digital world has made information publicly accessible. – Started conversations about privacy between adolescents and parents, and privacy between spouses. The Impact of Contemporary Social Issues • Continuing debates surrounding family formation, civil rights, immigration, and refugee families.

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4 Diversity in Family Forms and Structures • Greater social diversity based on factors such as age, race, sexual orientation, special needs, ethnic and cultural group identity. Influences of migration and globalization. • Divorce, family-of-choice, single parenthood, and families with same-sex parents have diversified the face of family. • Family complexity is linked to child well-being. – Not always intuitive and can present differently across family structures. Two-Parent Families (1 of 2) • Traditionally, two opposite-sex, married adults and their children. – For generations, considered the ideal, normative family form. – In general, this family form is declining. Why? What happened/ is happening in your opinion? • Many variations on this family form: – Cohabiting couples. – Same-sex couples. – Dual parenting or the idea that both parents will contribute to family demands, regardless of traditional gender role stereotypes. • Androgynous parenting describes roles that are gender neutral; not necessarily performed by the parent traditionally and stereotypically associated with the role. • Blurring of gender roles in the parenting context can enhance greater sense of gender equality in the children. – Dual centric or family centric Single-Parent and Binuclear Families (1 of 2) • A single-parent family is composed of one adult parent and one or more children. – Increasingly more prevalent than any other family form. – Created through divorce/separation of the adults, death of one adult, or having a child as a single parent.

5 • A binuclear family refers to children who have access to two families, usually as a result of parental divorce. • Divorce is the most common creator of a single-parent family. – Most stressful experience of adulthood. – Can be traumatic for children. • Single moms tend to have greater financial difficulties; risk of poverty. – Children who live in poverty are at a greater risk for problems at school, teen parenthood, unemployment, and lower wages in the workforce. Blended Families (1 of 2) • Typically formed when one or both adult partners remarry, or when a couple cohabit, and children are involved. • Is often assumed to be more challenging than other family forms. – Research has found that blended families fare no better or worse than other family forms. – Instead, the quality of the parenting largely determines outcomes. • Challenges include dealing with a complicated extended family network, difficulty in establishing step-parenting roles. • Developmental tasks associated with forming a new and cohesive family identity. Families with Renested Adult Children (1 of 2) • Children who have been launched towards independence and then return home to their family-of-origin. • Occurs when young adult children experience some type of transitional life crisis, such as job loss or divorce, and turn to their family for support. – When adult children return to their elderly parents’ home in a caretaking role. • Adaptation needs to respond to the lifespan development of the young adult. • Family rules will shift and new boundaries should be established. – Adult children should be able to maintain their autonomy, even when returning to the parental home. • The sandwich generation refers to adults who are caring for their own parents, as well as their own offspring.

6 Kinship Families • American grandparents may be faced with the responsibility of raising their grandchildren and providing some financial support for their own children. • Co-resident grandparent-grandchildren families are created when parents experience some type of personal problem that prevents them from effectively fulfilling their caregiving role. – Incarceration, addiction, child abuse, chronic physical or emotional illness, or death can create these scenarios. • Three generation families face special challenges. – Grandparents can experience financial and emotional stressors, postponement of retirement, and health concerns. – Grandchildren may display problems related to parental issues and inconsistent parenting behavior. Families of Choice • Family formation does not exclusively rely on shared genetics or legal status. • Represents variations of family bonds. • The concept and implications of “family” is continuously evolving, in response to and in interaction with societal and other demands. • The expression of family creation can be varied, even ambiguous. Ethnography: Diverse Family Forms • Polygamy involves a marriage that may include several adults. • Variations on marriage with simultaneous commitments to multiple partners are typically not legal nor sanctioned by the mainstream societal values or legal systems. • There are strict taboos and incest rules against marrying very close family members who are related by blood. It is illegal in almost all cultural and societal contexts. Family Well-Being • The quality of the relationships within diverse families is the key indicator of overall family well-being. • Sometimes families choose their compositions, but most often, life’s challenges contribute strongly to the configurations. • Family wellness is affected by factors ranging from economic to emotional.

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7 Military Families (1 of 3) • Military families can face similar stressors and challenges as single-parent units, but are also subjected to a military environment which can be a world of its own. • The deployed soldier parents from-a-distance and maintains family cohesion while also forming a surrogate family with similarly deployed colleagues. • Military life has unique qualities that affect marital and family functioning. • Stressors for the deployed parent include constant transition, lack of communication, and re-entry. For the non deployed parent: single-parenting. • Ambiguous loss refers to the uncertainty and worry about potential situations which can affect safety, health and longevity. • Positive factors include strength and stability of the marriage relationship and social connectedness to a network of supportive and significant others. • The phases in a typical deployment cycle which also affect parenting in those families: – Pre-deployment phase – getting ready, facing uncertainty and some emotional distancing. Deployment phase – staying engaged by connecting with own family, finding a support or surrogate family in the deployed setting. Transposement during deployment– refers to the altering of the family; taking on new roles, challenges of communication. Post-deployment– reintegrating with own family. Requires understanding, appreciation, and renewed family bonding.