Most parents, even today, say that values and beliefs are important to their family. The parents take a different approach to parenting than their upbringing, focusing on love and their relationship with their children.
Pew Research Center asked over 3,700 parents nationwide to compare how they were raised and whether they are trying to raise their children similarly or differently. Parents say the factors worth considering are values and religion, love and relationship, behavior and discipline, education, and freedom and autonomy.
“Everything depends on upbringing. ”
― War and Peace
According to the survey, roughly 43% are raising their children similarly to how they were raised, while 44% take a different approach. 12% say they’re trying to raise their children neither similarly nor differently. Parents’ responses included many different dimensions of family life.
1. Values and Religion
Parents raising their children similarly to their upbringing tend to center around instilling good morals, respect for others, and a strong work ethic. Also, some mentioned that principles to stand by include integrity and honesty. Others mentioned civic or ideological values, including raising their kids to be good citizens or instilling conservative values.
In general, some parents also consider religion and want to pass along the same religious beliefs and values their parents instilled in them. Most parents, even today, focus on faith and spirituality in raising their kids. Parents raising their children differently from their own upbringing instill different values in their children. They focus on compassion and open-mindedness. Some also emphasize limiting or removing the amount of religious influence.
2. Love And Relationship
Parents raising their children differently from how they were raised focus on love and their relationship with their children. Many pay attention to giving them more love and affection than they received as children. Parents raising their children similarly to how they were raised usually choose to provide their kids with a loving household or unconditional love through verbal affirmation or other displays of affection.
People taking a different approach to parenting want to be more present in their kids’ day-to-day lives than their parents were. Regardless, most parents, even today, prioritize having family dinners, generally spending time with them, and supporting their children in their extracurricular activities.
Parents raising their children differently from how they were raised also mention that they emphasize the use of better lines of communication. They choose not to yell and listen more instead. Having open and honest conversations with their children about current societal topics also helps.
Again, parents are focusing on cultivating an understanding relationship in raising their kids differently and accepting their children for who they are. Some parents want their children to grow up confident and comfortable with themselves. Also, most of them look forward to providing their children with emotional support and being more considerate towards their feelings than their parents were.
3. Behavior And Discipline
Regardless of how parents have been trying to raise their kids, similarly to or differently from their upbringing, they have expectations for their children’s behavior and discipline.
Parents raising their kids similarly emphasize responsibility, manners, respecting rules, and doing household chores. Also, some choose to set boundaries, not tolerate unacceptable behaviors, and hold their children accountable.
Parents raising their children differently choose to discipline their kids and set expectations for behavior with a gentler approach to parenting.
Some are even firmer with their children than their parents were with them. Yet, most choose not to use corporal punishment when disciplining their children.
4. Education
Parents mention education ensuring their kids work hard and do well in school. Also, parents have considerations regarding the type of schooling they want their kids to have.
Parents similarly raising their children emphasize the value and importance of education overall. Also, they tend to keep high academic expectations for their kids.
Parents raising their children differently choose to give their kids a better education than they had. Also, some give their kids a little more leeway in academics.
5. Freedom And Autonomy
Parents in both categories use a variety of approaches related to autonomy. Some of these include allowing their kids to learn and grow from their mistakes. Also, parents choose to give them the freedom to make their own choices. Parents raising their children differently want their children to have more independence.
Parenting Techniques Essential For Children’s Development
Whether parenting is traditional or modern, parents choose to use it to raise healthy and social individuals.
It’s not enough to depend on our traditional ways of parenting, so parents are becoming flexible in accepting the changes around them.
Parents are struggling to maintain the balance between being modern parents and nurturing them with traditional values. Conditions and behavior of the parents and children are changing with the times. Talking about our parents or grandparents, their lives were completely different from ours, and that will be completely different for our next generation of kids.
Parenting styles are also linked with profession, locality, lifestyle, financial status, and traditions. Techno-savvy parents are more comfortable and reliable with articles written by experts and other modern sources of information.
Modern Parents are much more conscious about their kids’ physical and mental comfort and don’t want to discomfort their kids by following their old traditional techniques.
But it’s not that all modern parents are against traditional parenting; rather, they don’t want their kids to be uncomfortable following these traditional things.
Final Words
Parenting is a journey; there is no point in seeing it as difficult and getting panicked by thinking about parenting methods. Being a parent and parenting, I never rely on any techniques. Guidelines can help us, but regardless of the type, traditional or Modern, parenting should be helpful and fruitful for parents as well as kids.
It is necessary to consider important factors, including culture, children’s perceptions of parental treatment, children’s temperament, and social influences, which play an important role in developing the child as a grown-up individual.
