Roles & Responsibilities of

Parenting
Unit 1
Child Development
Unit Outline
2-2: What Parenthood Means
3-1: What Is Parenting?
3-2: Guiding Children’s Behavior
2-2 Objectives
Describe the changes that parenthood
brings.
List considerations couples should look
at before deciding to become parents.
Using a process to build management
skills
“Children Are Watching” Video
Clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3WioZcjbys
What message is the video trying to convey?
Parenthood Brings About Changes

Parenthood – the state of being a

parent, which begins when one has a
child by birth or adoption
A child brings dramatic and long-lasting
changes.
New Responsibilities
Raising a child is more than a day-to-
day assignment…
It is LIFE-LONG commitment!!
A child needs - -
Financial care
- -
LOVE

Physical care Support

Guidance
New Responsibilities
You have to consider the child’s needs
first.
First time parents can feel
overwhelmed.
Family
Friends
Community Resources
Changes in Lifestyle
Caring for a young child takes a huge
amount of time and energy.
Parents have limits placed on their
personal freedom.
Couples are better able to adjust to
these changes in life if they prepare
for them.
Emotional Adjustments
Parents feel conflicting emotions such as:
Fear of not being a good parent
Frustration at the loss of personal
freedom and the addition of new
responsibilities.
Worry over money matters
Jealousy of the baby and the attention
Depression due to exhaustion or to the
physical changes of pregnancy and
birth.
Changes in Relationships
Some parents feel overwhelmed by
negative emotions and begin to bicker or
fight with one another.
The key to getting past troubled spots is
for the couple to have good
communication.
Changes in Relationships
Grandparents feel love and
joy of their own and want
to spend time with the
baby.
New parents may feel that
the grandparent’s advice is
really a criticism and resent
it.
The grand parents my feel
hurt if their suggestions are
rejected.
Changes in Work
Working women may quit work or cut back on
their hours to care for their child.
Workers who often put in overtime or weekends
may be less willing to put in extra hours.
Companies have policies to help working
parents.
On-site child-care facilities
Flexible hour
The Rewards of Parenthood
Parents feel happiness, pride, and love.
Parents can see the world with new
eyes.
Enrich an already healthy marriage
Parents experience a great sense of
accomplishment.
Making Decisions About
Parenthood
People who are thinking about
parenthood should have a clear
picture of what parenthood is.
They also need to take a realistic look
at themselves to see if they are ready
for parenthood.
Emotional Maturity
Emotional maturity – being responsible
enough to consistently put someone else’s
needs before you own
Being secure enough to devote your full
attention
Prospective parents should take an honest
look at their maturity
Desire for Parenthood
Our marriage is in trouble. Maybe having a baby
will solve our problems.
I want to give a baby my care and love.
I feel good about myself and believe that
parenthood will be rewarding.
Our parents want grandchildren.
A baby is someone who will love me and belong
to me.
Financial Concerns
Raising a child is VERY expensive!!
Couples should take a careful look at
the cost involved over the years
ahead.

p.a.p.a. What Price is It?

Management Skills
Becoming a good manager is a matter of following
five steps:
1. Set Goals
Decide what is important for you and then make
them into objectives for you to achieve.
2. Identify Resources
Figure out your resources to achieve your goal.
3. Make a Plan
Decide how you will use your resources to meet
that goal.
Management Skills
4. Put the plan in action.
Once you have a plan, start working
toward your goal.
5. Reevaluate from time to time.
Do you need more resources or
different ones?
Did you achieve your goal more easily
than you expected?
3-1 Objectives:
Explain how knowledge of child
development is linked to
reasonable expectations.
Distinguish among different
parenting styles.
Identify ways to improve parenting
skills.
Describe how to nurture children.
Parenting: A Learning Process
Parenting – caring for children and helping
them develop
Demands Good Judgment:
1. Requires knowing when to help and when to
back off
2. Parents need to avoid pushing children to try
activities they are not yet ready for.
They have to avoid holding children back out of
fear they may fail.
3. The skills that parents need change as the child
grows.
Having Reasonable Expectations
An essential first step in effective parenting.
Caregivers need to be sure to match their
expectations to the particular child.
Caregivers need to respect the differences
between children.

Act your
age!!
Finding a Comfortable Parenting
Style:
Authoritarian – based on the idea that
children should obey their parents
without question.
Democratic – children have more
input into the rules and limits
Permissive – parents give children a
wide range of freedom.
Getting Help
Ways to Build Parenting Skills
Reading books and magazine articles
about parenting
Gaining experience with children
Asking advice from family members
and friends
Observing other parents and children
The Tasks of Parenting
3 Basic Tasks
1. Meet the child’s basic needs
2. Nurture
3. Guide children to show appropriate
behavior
Meeting Children’s Needs
Provide food, clothing and shelter
Watch over their safety and health
Begin teaching them language
Foster intellectual growth by taking an active
role in their schooling
Teach them to get along with others
Provide opportunities for them to love and be
loved.
Nurturing
Giving a child opportunities for
encouragement and enrichment.
Parents are children’s first teachers.
Parents need to give children the freedom
they need in order to learn.
Adults should remove as many barriers as
possible that prevent children from
exploring the world on their own.
Deprivation – lack if an enriching
environment
Nurturing

Provide love and support

Some parents become
overprotective and
overattentive.
Communicating Positively
Use words that the child can understand, but
avoid talking down.
Be clear. Think in terms of the child’s point of
view.
Be positive and polite.
Give praise and love.
Limit the directions to those that are essential.
Talk about what’s meaningful to the child.