The Influence of Retrospective Parenting on Parenting Styles and a Young Child’s Behaviour

Proceedings of The 2nd International Conference on Teaching, Learning, and Education

Year: 2019

DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.33422/2nd.ictle.2019.11.686

[Fulltex PDF]

The Influence of Retrospective Parenting on Parenting Styles and a Young Child’s Behaviour

Danielle Bishop-Kapp and Dr Keshni Bipath

ABSTRACT: 

In this ever-changing and fast-paced world, parents are under an increasing amount of stress to raise their children. Parents are now able to ‘Google’ and find information on the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of parenting. Although parents want to use a parenting style fit for the 21^st century, they are influenced by the manner in which their parents have raised them. Thus, the impetus of the study was to examine how parents’ own experiences of how their parents have raised or parented them determine the parenting style they use with their own children.A narrative inquiry guided by a case study research design was used for the completion of this study. The participants were asked to reflect retrospectively on their experiences during childhood regarding how their parents had interacted with them. They were then asked to reflect on whether these experiences affected their own parenting style with their young children and, if so, describe the effect.Content analysis was used to analyse the data collected from the participants. The data yielded the following results: Parents who were raised by parents using the authoritative parenting style have become authoritative parents themselves. These parents see the benefits of this parenting style as they associate their strengths with being parented by means of this style.

Keywords: Authoritative parenting style; authoritarian parenting style; Baumrind’s theoretical framework; employment; parenting styles.