L11 Parenting (Part 1)

     It is important to know what kind of parents we are because we have an effect on the outcome of who are children become. Did you know there are different styles of parenting?
Take this short quiz to find out which one you are...

http://www.activeparenting.com/Parents-Parenting_Style_Quiz

     Also, if you have some time, check out this other video. Setting limits is a strategy used in authoritative parenting. Vitamin N is one of the most important "vitamins" children need.

https://www.prageru.com/join/welcome


     So how did the quiz go for you? I got “active” which is similar to an authoritative parent, which luckily, is the best style of parenting! As you read further, you will learn why.

This week we read in Lauer chapter 12: Becoming a Parent. In this chapter, I learned about various implications of becoming a parent. Since the 1970s, the birthrate in the U.S. has declined. Starting in 1995 there have been about 14-15 births per 1,000 people due to immigration and declining death rate. Even the number of children people are having is now an average of 2.5. The reasons why people may not be having children is because either they choose not to or they are not able to. Reasons why people choose not to have children may be personal fulfillment, career, economic costs, relationship focus, and doubts about parenting skills. Involuntary childlessness may be due to infertility. Although some people find it impossible to have children on their own, they resort to various methods in order to do so. These include artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, surrogate mothers, and adoption. However these solutions may otherwise result in a number of complications. Children suffer adverse effects from artificial insemination that include higher levels of confusion, emotional pain, feelings of isolation, depression, delinquency, and substance abuse. They may even worry about finding a mate as a half sibling. Controversies of in vitro fertilization may be defined as abortion because of the disposal of extra fertilized eggs. Surrogate mothers may experience rejection if the baby is deformed. Lastly, adopted children experience more conflict with their parents.

                The reasons that people have children are many. Some people have children because of the happiness they have experienced growing up in a family. It may also be for personal fulfillment, family legacy, status, religious beliefs, or social expectations. People deem raising children as an indispensable part of growth despite career success. Parents have reported that they experience love like they had never before experienced in their entire lives. Having children inevitably brings additional stress to deal with, but it does not necessarily prove to decrease the quality of life in the long run. The relationships that parents build with their children and the strengthening of their own marriage can be more fulfilling and strengthen all assets for their reasons of having children in the first place. However, these implications are predicated upon effective parenting practices.

Those educated, married longer, and who have higher income have improved marital satisfaction with children. Also, marital and parental satisfaction are likely to be higher when the father is more involved with the baby. Last but not least, parenting style not only influence the quality of the relationship, but in the overall development of the child. Fathers who are substantially engaged in the care of infants and children turn out to be more intellectually competent, empathetic, display higher levels of self-control, self-esteem, greater degree of social competence, and higher levels of psychological well-being. There are three different parenting styles: authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive. The authoritarian parent maximizes unquestioning control over the child, and may exert severe punishment. These children result in lower self-esteem, school achievement, behavioral problems, less well adjusted, and distrustful. The permissive parent minimizes control to the degree that any behavior is acceptable. Children make their own decisions and develop independence with few or no parental constrains and guidance. However, their children end up lacking self-control and do not easily adapt to situations of authority figures. The authoritative parent is balanced between setting limits and granting autonomy to the degree that they are developmentally capable of handling responsibility and accepting the consequences on their own. These parents encourage independence and are able to express their opinions. Although they are persistent in expecting what behavior is deemed as appropriate, they are able to express their opinions and share a warm relationship characterized with affection. Children of authoritative parents have higher quality family life. They achieve better in academics, self-reliance, better moral reasoning, and life satisfaction. They are less likely to experience anxiety, depression, and get involved in delinquent behavior.