Mother Parenting Theory

replacement of stereotyped images of black womanhood with those that are self defined, 4) black women’s activism, and 5) sensitivity to black sexual politics. The first three themes correlate to black motherhood and living in a binary environment, one in which black people are the oppressed and white

In Annette Lareau’s study and subsequent book Unequal Childhoods, she examined the lives of twelve children of different social classes. In particular, she focused on parenting styles within their households and their effects on the children’s future and found a direct correlation. Two of the children from her study were Alexander Williams and Tyrec Taylor, both African-American nine-year-old boys.

Author Harriette Pipes McDoo addresses how family values are influenced by racism in her book, Black Families. She expounds that the challenges faced by African American families have given them the ability to strengthen their core family values through overcoming racially fueled injustices (McDoo 69-71). Factors like racism, poverty, and the fight for equal rights are all factors which vary across the nation within each household affecting individual family value systems. Along with the challenges of adversity, each passing generation inside of American culture have emphasized less and less on multigenerational relationships with families moving and growing into new families to new locations. This rift in the familial structure stems from the evolution of the traditional family combined with the self-motivated desire to succeed

With a missing male role model (father figure), the oldest child of a set of multiples tends to take on the other parents responsibities making the younger siblings look at them as a parental figure. This could mean doing simple chores like keeping the house clean, all the way to helping out financially. This phenomenon is called parentification. Parentification is all too common in African American families today. The missing father figure is seen as one of the main reasons for African Americans disciplinary problems, psychological health, and lowered academic success. Without the knowledge of how to behave in certain situations, the mental/emotional strain, and the already low academic achievement, many black students feel that college is unnecessary and causes them to bring up the question, “How will my family survive without me?”

With over three hundred million Americans and over six billion people worldwide parenting skills are essential to maintain a healthy society. Parenting involves many aspects and requires many skills. It is a time to nurture, instruct, and correct to develop fundamental skills children will need to be mature, responsible, and contributing adults to a society. There are four commonly identified parenting styles; authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved parenting. Of the four parenting styles, two remain on opposite ends of the parenting spectrum. These two styles; authoritarian, and permissive both have deleterious results that are often visible throughout different developmental stages, such as rebellious behavior. As well

Would you have come out different if your parents used a different parenting style? If you are considered “cool” now could you have come out a nerd if your parents would have used a different parenting style? “Parenting style is one of the primary determinants of your child’s outcome whether he succeeds, achieves, meets the challenges, flounders, gives up, or runs from or fails in handling life.” (6) The purpose of this paper is to describe the outcomes, processes, labor, and techniques of parenting in a psychological point of view. Parenting styles are defined as the “manner in which parents express their beliefs on how to be a good or bad parent.” (4) Each parenting style has its weaknesses and

Within the inner cities of America, it appears the ages of most parents in the inner cities are becoming younger and younger. With nearly 40% of Black men incarcerated, the women-to-men ratio is unbalanced (Bureau of Prisons, 2012). According to the 2010 Census, Black single mothers with children account for a staggering seventy percent of households within urban cities. These mothers are far more likely than married mothers to be poor, relying on governmental assistance, with no father figure to help raise their children to be upstanding citizens in society. “Even after a post-welfare-reform decline in child poverty, they are also more likely to pass that poverty on to their children” (Hymowitz, 2005).

Statistics have shown that 9.7% of African American fathers who don’t live with their children help their with their homework. Although the number may seem low, our white counterparts are at 5% when it comes to this category. This illustrates the effort in the African American community to influence the next generations. These small acts may not have an initial impact, but in the long run it can be the difference of their child enrolling into college. It could be the difference of what career the child chooses to pursue. The powerful potential that lies within the child could be brought out by the

1). This study used semi-formal interviews to collect research (Ransaw, pg. 7). The data was based on African American fathers (or step-fathers), between the ages of 18-52, living in an urban community in the Southwest U.S. Two of the fathers were Sunni Muslims, two were Nation of Islam Muslims, one was Catholic, three of the fathers were Methodist, and one was Baptist. The researchers took into account that the sample group may have been biased because religious men turned fathers are more likely to be involved in their children’s lives (Ransaw, pg. 18). Two were single fathers and one was also a grandfather. The majority of the fathers earned between $25,000 and $50,000 per year (Ransaw, pg. 8). They were rated on the Fathering Involvement Scale which is comprised of three components: first, the direct interaction with the child pertaining to caretaking and play. The second part is the ability to be physically and psychologically available for the child’s everyday needs, and the third factor involves being responsible for the child’s welfare and well-being (Pleck & Pleck,

   Historically, the job of women in society is to care for the husband, the home, and the children. As a homemaker, it has been up to the woman to support the husband and care for the house; as a mother, the role was to care for the children and pass along cultural traditions and values to the children. These roles are no different in the African-American community, except for the fact that they are magnified to even larger proportions. The image of the mother in African-American culture is one of guidance, love, and wisdom; quite often the mother is the shaping and driving force of African-American children. This is reflected in the literature of the

(Smith, 1988, p. 270). High homicide rates, high suicide rates, few job options, high percentage of drop outs, and limited life plan continue to become more common within the adolescent male the belief that he must survive. In today’s generation, adolescent fathers may feel like if he plays an active role in the child’s life, then he will be an adult, but may also feel like he does not need to provide financial support to the mother. Because of an adolescent father’s fixated view of self, influenced by society, would only make sure he is in a “good” position. Social workers often put an emphasis on how the father grew up in a damaged household with little to no motivation to be an active father in the child’s life, whereas they should provide more assistance into helping him be a better person and the best father. With all of these challenges that adolescent fathers face, I begin to question, how much hope does society have for the African-American male and his

What happens to the fatherless child? Will this child be afforded the same opportunities as a child raised in a two parent homes? The growing epidemic of fatherless homes in America is a vastly growing trend. How far back through out American History can we trace this epidemic? Is there a close correlation between the absence of the father in the home, and likely hood of a child growing up to be a criminal? My primary focus will be on the affect this issue has on African American homes. Through out this paper I will address this issue, and give fact based reasoning for the matter in question. This issue is currently prevalent and an ever-growing predicament, I will compare and contrast the past and the present of this topic.

Many psychologists throughout history have indulged in studies related to parenting behavior and how children are affected from such behavior. The work of Diana Baumrind, which is considered to be one of the most influential and well-studied theories of parenting behavior, was the first to identify three styles of parenting (Sclafani 44). These styles of parenting are called authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive. This paper will further explain descriptions of these styles and the typical behaviors of children as a result of each style. This paper will also provide insight on the parenting style I was raised on along with my thoughts on types of discipline I might use in the

The third controlling image of Black womanhood is that of the welfare mother, which is linked to Black women’s increasing dependence on the welfare state (Collins, 76). This time, the punishment is for failing to work. Rather than being a bad mother for deserting the children, now the concern is being with the children too much and not working. Again, by pinpointing the Welfare Mother as the cause,

The family system and parents are generally regarded as one of the most powerful forces in shaping adolescents. Parents have a great influence in the development of adolescents. The relationship of the parents largely effect the development of adolescents and is an important factor when looking at development. Well-adjusted adolescents tend to have intact families that are supportive and create a warm and loving environment with constant monitoring of behavior. The review examines the current research on adolescent development and how it is effected by parenting styles. Taking into account the changes that occur over time to parents this review shows the fluidity of parenting styles and the stressors that cause those changes.