Parenting
Proximal and Distal Parenting
 Proximal Parenting involves being close to the baby,
often holding and touching the child.
 Distal Parenting involves keeping some distance
from the baby-providing toys, feeding by putting
finger food within reach, and talking face-to-face
instead of communicating by touch.
Parenting
 It could be said that the first challenge faced
by parents is deciding on a parenting style.
Baumrind’s
Three Patterns of Parenting
AUTHORITARIAN PARENTING
PERMISSIVE PARENTING
A U T H O R I T A TI V E P A R E N T I N G
Authoritarian Parenting
 The parents’ word is the law and is not to be




questioned.
Strict punishment, usually physical (not harsh
enough to be abusive).
Parents have rules and high standards.
They do not listen to children’s opinions and
discussion about emotions is rare.
Parents love their children, but seem aloof, rarely
showing affection.
Permissive Parenting
 Parents make a few demands, hiding any frustrations
they may feel.
 Discipline is lax, partly because they have low
expectations for maturity.
 Parents are nurturing and accepting, listening to
whatever their children have to say.
 They are supportive, but do not feel responsible for
shaping their children.
Authoritative Parenting
 Parents set limits and enforce rules, yet they are
flexible and listen to their children.
 They demand maturity, but they are usually forgiving
(not punishing) if the child falls short.
 They consider themselves guides, not authorities or
friends.
4th Style of Parenting (L. Steinberg, 2001)
NEGLECTFUL/UNINVOLVED PARENTING
 This style is usually mistaken for the permissive style
but is quite different.
 Neglectful parents do not know what their children
are doing – they seem not to care.
Possible Long Term Effects
 Authoritarian parents raise children who are likely to become careful, obedient,
and quiet but not especially happy. Children tend to feel guilty or depressed,
internalizing their frustrations and blaming themselves for when things don’t
go well. As adolescents, they sometimes rebel, leaving home before age 20.
 Permissive parents raise unhappy children who lack self-control, especially in
the give and take of peer relationships. Inadequate emotional regulations make
them feel immature and impedes friendships, which is the main reason for
their unhappiness. They tend to live at home, still dependent, in early
adulthood.
 Authoritative parents raise children who are successful, articulate, happy with
themselves, and generous with others. Teachers and peers usually like these
children, especially in societies in which individual initiative is valued.
Baumrind found that parents differed on 4
important dimensions.
 Expression of
warmth: some
parents are very
affectionate; others
are cold.
 Strategies for
discipline: Parents
vary in whether and
how they explain,
criticize, persuade,
ignore, and punish.
 Communication: Some
parents listen patiently
to their children; other
demand silence.
 Expectations for
maturity: Parents vary in
the standard they set for
their children regarding
responsibility and selfcontrol.
Its Not All Genetic
 Parents must first understand their child and then
provide guidance so that inborn traits are expressed
constructively, not destructively.
 Now, they caution against placing too much
emphasis on genes, especially in infancy, because
observations suggest that parenting style influence
the infants’ behavior as much as or more than
temperament does.
 What is needed is an awareness that both nature and
nurture are involved.
Children Parents and the Media
 One reason the parenting styles change so often is
because new challenges confront each generation of
parents.
 One current change is the ever-increasing influence
of electronics media on children.
 All media can be harmful, especially when the
content is violent.
Parents and The Media
 Having the TV on all the time limits learning
 Many families have the TV on during meal time,
which take away from conversation and learning to
interact.
 Researchers found that the more TV children watch,
the angrier they are.
Television keeps young
children entertained,
allowing parents to
continue with what ever
they are doing.
The typical young child
watches TV for 3 hours a
day!
Recent studies show that
¼ of all children have
TV’s in their bedrooms
by age 3, a percentage
that rises as children
grow older.
TV may help parents out
but it is harmful to
development, according
to U.S. experts.
In the U.S. a 2-4 year old child typically spends
25% of their day watching television.