The Quality Of The Time

The concept of family has changed in many perspectives throughout the years. Nuclear families started back in the 1950s also known as ‘ideal families’. Today family comes in many varieties whether it 's nuclear, accordion, or extended families and even same sex marriage. One thing that is undoubtedly true is that family will always be the one that you have an unbreakable bond with. American families have evolved in many ways leading us away from what was known as nuclear families.

Chief amongst these are that families have two goals: in raising children and establishing solid and stable adult relationships (Parsons and Bales 1955). The way families achieved these goals was by establishing specific roles for each member of the family, specifically the two parents. This structure, with a man in the workforce and woman at home, was very prevalent in the 1950s. In 1960, according to Phillip Cohen (2014), 65 percent of children lived in homes with married parents where only the father was employed. At this point, with a majority of children living in such situations, it seemed valid to define families using these households. However, this household structure quickly fell out of prominence: by 2012, only 22 percent of children lived in such homes. The most common household type — 34 percent — involved married parents where both adults worked. With families now being arranged in such varied ways, it is more difficult to generalize about family structures as you and Bales do, Dr. Parsons (Cohen 2014: 2-3).

To better understand how infant care varies within a culture and between cultures, a U.S. mother, Patrice, was interviewed about her infant care practices. Patrice is 53 years old and is a mother to four girls ages 15, 18, 23, and 24. Patrice was born into an American Catholic family with Irish and British descent. She identified herself as a middle-class American. Patrice attended college and got her Bachelor’s degree so she is highly educated. Although she had many different jobs throughout her life, Patrice stated that her main career was being a mother as her children are very important to her. The study of Patrice’s infant care practices as well as the different

Regardless of social class most parents wish for their children to be happy, healthy, and successful; however, parents disagree on the best way to raise their children to be all of those things, which is when social class determines the parents’ child rearing method. Whether a child comes from a working class or middle class family affects the child’s development and socialization; and consequently the child’s future.

Annette Lareau, author of Unequal Childhoods Class, Race, and Family Life, revealed her research findings in this enlightening text featuring twelve socially, economically, and culturally diverse families having a child nine to ten years of age respectively in their nuclear family unit. These families were garnered from the author’s coinciding study comprised of eighty-eight children. Lareau, along with her research assistants, visited each family approximately twenty times. Visits included time spent within the home, as well as family events, school functions, doctor’s visits, structured activities, shopping trips, and church services. Wide-ranging contexts allowed researchers a unique opportunity to observe and record a multiplicity of interactions within each family unit.

It is argued that the more the institutions that work on bringing parents together are the ones who have the biggest payoff or reward to the individual because with more interaction the closer they will become and form meaningful beneficial relationships with one another (Small 2009). These organizations are viewed as a means of expression for individuals or a conduit allowing them to touch and connect with those who share similar views no matter what the organization is. The main point of the book that individuals are shaped by their social interactions and organizations that they participate in is backed up by statistics throughout the book. The appendix provides many of the sources of data and statistics he used throughout the book. The author states that while most scholars understand the importance and major role these social networks play however-- when it comes to developing people very few of them understand how these networks exactly form or what sort of role these institutions play in helping make these connections happen and how they provide an environment that cultivates these beneficial relationships. The author even argues that participation and engagement in the childcare centers creates what he calls “compartmentalized intimates” which is where mothers or fathers form close trusting relationships with other parents who are also in similar situations (Small

Parent Time that incorporates issues significant to social differences, acculturating guardians into the American training framework, readiness for successful support of the child's education, life and parenting abilities, techniques for parent association in their child's training in school and at home, initiative and school choice open doors, benefit learning and group challenges, urban engagement and volunteerism, family support, proficiency and essential aptitude advancement, and business related

Most people assume that parenthood is pure joy, but research shows that it can also be pure misery. In the article “Bundle of Trouble”, Robin W. Simon discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with parenthood. First, Simon notes that parenthood has several emotional benefits, like the prospect of being a grandparent and the satisfaction of watching a child grow up. However, Simon argues that the exorbitant cost of raising children is a major source of stress among parents. Lastly, Simon argues that there is a lack of social support (i.e. family, social institutions) to alleviate the social and economic issues associated with parenthood. One of the most significant ideas presented in the article is that raising a child

When mentioning family, the nation’s economic crisis has deeply affected the lives of millions of Americans. Families and their children experience poverty when they are unable to achieve a minimum, decent standard of living that allows them to participate fully in mainstream society. Economic hardship and other types of deprivation can have profound effects on children's development and their prospects for the future. Low family income can hinder children's cognitive development and their ability to learn. It can contribute to behavioral, social, and emotional problems. And it can cause and worsen poor child health as

The next mediating mechanism of childhood poverty affecting intellectual development is the mother’s involvement with her child. How a child is raised and parented is crucial to the human development at a young age, and is one of the main intervening factors between poor families and the ultimate outcome of the child. More completed models of childhood development in poverty include “mediators such as the amount and quality of time spent by parents with their children,” along with the other aspects of home-learning environments (Duncan, Brooks-Gunn, and Klebanov 309). Parents who live in poverty daily and for longer amounts of time often face lack of food, poor housing, unsafe neighborhoods, unemployment, discrimination, and poor health (Guo and Harris 433). When facing these hardships, impoverished parents suffer from more psychological issues than non-poor parents, which can lead to harsh discipline and low levels of support for the child. When a parent is not supportive or does not challenge a child to preform at a higher

The labor force of the United States has changed drastically over the last forty years. According to the Department of Labor, in 2012, 64% of woman with children under the age of six are in the labor force. While only 34% of mothers were working in 1970 (Gullekson, Griffeth, Vancouver, Kovner, & Cohen, 2014). Furthermore, in 1974, 80% of kids under the age 17 were cared for by a parent (Morrissey & Warne, 2011). Given this dramatic increase of mothers in the workforce, there is a considerable amount of time missed by the working parent. On average, American working parents miss nine days of work per year and that number increases to thirteen as the child moves through daycare and into elementary school. Breakdowns in childcare cost businesses three billion dollars annually (Shellenback, 2004). Given these staggering numbers the demand for reliable and affordable childcare has never been bigger.

The expected family in a post World War II America was built on the work of the “breadwinner” father, the devoted and loving housewife who completed chores and looked after the children, and the faithful and unquestioning children.” Families often ate as many meals together as possible together and often did family activities together. Parents started to pay more attention to preparing children for life as an adult rather than solely on disciplining their children . The boys were expected to either go to college, join the workforce, or join the military. Meanwhile, girls stayed in their parents’ home until marriage and many were denied the right to go to college. For the first time in decades children started being treated as humans rather

Laureau argues that a child’s social class can affect and shape the way a child feels about their place in the world. Middle class parents, regardless of race, tend to raise their children as Laureau would describe as “concerted cultivation.” This type of parent enroll their children in many extra curricular actives. These activities are organized and used as a means to develop the child’s talents and instill important life skills. Working class and poor families tended to utilize the “accomplishments of natural growth” model. These families did not participate in as many activities because they were often unable to afford them. These two different types of parenting styles affected the way the child views their social status. Middle class children had a higher sense of entitlement while poor and working class kids felt they had no identities or abilities.

The article based its information off of previous studies conducted by the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development also known as the SECCYD (Dowsett). Three types of childcare were analyzed; they included childcare centers, family care child homes, and care provided by the child’s relatives (Dowsett). The study concluded that childcare provided by a childcare center was the most beneficial to children due to the fact that there was more stimulation from adults, as well as students, and less negative distractors such as television (Dowsett). Children in family care centers were not as stimulated and engaged as children in childcare centers (Dowsett). The study also concluded that children whose parents had a larger income received better care in comparison to children from less wealthy homes

Effectively, the qualitative research employed by Lareau provided direct and personal insight into the intimate intricacies of family life. Qualitative research grants investigators freedom to tailor study methods such as, targeted group selection, social topics, observational locations, documentation techniques, and level of observer involvement; permitting varied facets of consequential focus to be fully ascertained (Chapter 10 Field Research: A Qualitative Technique). Lareau chose her target group of twelve families, and together with her research assistants elected to observe the participants in a multitude of settings (Lareau 2011). The level of involvement varied from that of complete observationist to complete participant (Chapter 10 Field Research: A Qualitative Technique) (Lareau 2011). Adeptly, through naturalistic observation social capital is illuminated, assessed, and recorded lending deepened understanding to veiled ideals, principles, and standards (Theam 2013). Devoting time to observe interfamilial interactions, as well as individual and collective familial exchanges in institutional settings, afforded discovery of parenting styles and philosophies and their effects on child development (Lareau 2011). Markedly, few, if any, alternative research methods have the ability to uncover such comprehensive information, highlighting functions and concerns of social framework (Chapter 10 Field Research: A Qualitative Technique).