Emerging Issues
There are many emerging issues involved in social and behavioral sciences that include parenting. These issues include parenting styles, adolescents as parents, preschoolers' nutrition, school-age bullying, and adult gender roles among other things. Recently these topics have come to the forefront of American parenting and research has begun to encourage parents to change their ways in order to raise healthier and more confident children.
Parenting Styles
In past decades many thought that children should be seen and not heard. In fact, at the beginning of the 20th century the autocratic approach was the prevailing belief guiding American parents. This parenting style included beliefs that the children were household servants and that children should unquestionably obey their fathers. In addition, many found that their children were inherently sinful and in order for a child to develop correctly strict discipline was necessary which often included corporal punishment. However, more recently in the 21st century the American parent has benefited from research done by other theorists who embrace the idea that parents should consider the feelings and thoughts of their children.
Adolescents as Parents
In regards to adolescent parenting, a plethora of information has come to light. Although currently adolescent parents still fight an uphill battle for themselves and their child which involve health, social, and economic problems emerging information has provided a ray of hope for both adolescent parents and their children. Research has found, in regards to teenage mothers, that there are numerous factors that can decrease negative outcomes. These factors include the mother's secure attachment to her parents, social support from the adolescent mother's family or the community, the involvement of the babies father, and the graduation of high school all increase the resiliency of the adolescent mother. In regards to adolescent fathers studies have found that services directed toward strengthening the father's income earning power, a positive relationship with the mother and the child, support from the adolescent father's family, their peers, and social institutions help to encourage positive outcomes.
Preschoolers' Nutrition
When considering preschool children's eating habits parents must be sure that their child is receiving adequate nutrition. In industrialized countries preschool children often take in enough calories for energy, but they do not always obtain an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals, which may result in iron-deficiency anemia. In all socioeconomic classes children consume large amounts of sugary drinks and candies, which work to fill a preschooler up, but leave them lacking in the appropriate amount of vitamins and minerals to achieve proper physical development and brain development. However, studies have found that parents can influence their preschoolers eating habits in a variety of positive ways to include controlling which foods are available to their child, the structure of the meals, food modeling, food socialization practices, and a food-related parenting style. Children choose to eat the foods that are placed before them the most often and tend to prefer what is available and acceptable to them in their parent's household. Parents control which foods come into the house and where the family goes to eat, so if parents choose healthy foods than the preschooler is more obliged to do so as well.
School-Age Bullying
Recent studies have found that school-age bullying is on the rise. Research has shown that certain parenting styles may lead a child to be a bully or the victim of bullying. When compared to other families children who bully often come from families that involve interparental violence, physical discipline, hostile and rejecting behaviors, have poor problem solving skills, and who are accepting of aggressive and violent behavior. In contrast males who have become victims of bullying often have an overprotective mother and females who fall victim to bullying often have poor identification with their mothers. Professionals have found a useful prevention strategy designed to prevent childhood bullying and victimization. The five step strategy includes parents monitoring their child's activities and whereabouts, developing both rules and consequences, the reframing of behaviors in positive rather than negative ways, focusing on their child's positive behaviors, and developing and using effective listening skills.
Adult Gender Roles
In regards to adult gender roles and household chores much has changed as of late. In the past household chores and child rearing was the role of the mother and the father's role was to provide financially for the family. However, more and more frequently both the husband and wife work outside of the home making it necessary for household chores to be divided between both the husband and the wife. Research has found that the parental division of labor that is seen by adolescents between their parents has a significant effect on the interpretation young adults have in regards to the way household chores should be divided between women and men. Studies have found that the greater the involvement of the father in household chores results in an important behavioral role in leading his own children to support household task sharing as young adults.
Conclusion
The aforementioned information is a small respresentation of the emerging issues in parenting in both behavioral and social science. Research and studies on parenting bring about new information each day and by parents remaining educated they will continue to raise healthier and more confident children.
References:
Heath, P. (2009). Parent-child relations (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education.
