The Developing Parent

“When you educate someone you teach them how to use language to arm them; straighten them out; organize them; elevate them and you will ennoble them and then they're not misshapen half-carved blocks of humanity. People that can stand up; stand around and maneuver through the world; contribute properly to the community and keep the world oriented between chaos and order” - Jordan Peterson

Demographic Changes in Parenthood

Galinsky’s Stages of Parenthood

Study Questions

1. How has the average number of children that women have in the United States changed since the early 1900s?
2. What period of time do Galinsky’s parenting stages cover?
3. What is the focus of Galinsky’s stage theory of parenting?
4. What can Galinsky’s stages teach people about how to be good parents?
5. Why does the image-making stage begin before the child is born?
6. During which of Galinsky’s stages are parenting responsibilities the most demanding?
7. Why does it make sense for parental leave (i.e., time off for parents to care for children) to occur right after a baby is born rather than once a child is older?
8. Your best friend has a new baby. How can you best help her (according to Galinsky’s stage theory of parenting)?
9. When does Galinsky’s authority stage occur?
10. At what age do parents usually begin to punish their children and why?
11. You are in a grocery store and see a three-year-old running around, throwing vegetables, and screaming. According to Galinsky’s stage theory of parenting, what has the child’s parent likely done wrong?
12. What do parents in Galinsky’s interpretive stage primarily do for their children?
13. Some researchers claim that parents have little direct impact on their children’s behavior and that friends matter more. What does Galinsky’s interpretive stage suggest about how parents may indirectly affect their children’s behavior?
14. What age are children when their parents are in Galinsky’s interdependent stage?
15. In some cultures, parents are considered the ultimate authority and are to be obeyed and respected without question. What problem might people from these cultures have with Galinsky’s interdependent stage?
16. What personality traits in parents are associated with parents supporting their children’s autonomy?
17. Why does it seem like some babies are born easy (they are calm and barely cry) and other babies are born difficult (cry a lot and easily and are difficult to soothe)?
18. Who are parents the most likely to ask to mow the lawn?
19. Why should people who value good parenting worry when many nations in the world face lasting economic recessions?

Autonomy

Learning Outcomes:

1. Consider and understand the importance of freedom in childhood, in adulthood, and when aging.
2. Consider and understand the psychological consequences of lacking freedom/a sense of control.
3. Experiment by increasing the freedom you experience in your own life.

Free comes from Proto-Germanic “Friede” which root also forms the word friend

Why the Danes encourage their kids to swing axes, play with fire, and ride bikes in traffic In

The Coddling of the American Mind: In the name of emotional well-being, college students are increasingly demanding protection from words and ideas they don’t like. Here’s why that’s disastrous for education—and mental health.

Prepare the child for the way, not the way for the child.

Assumption: Exposing individuals to anxiety-provoking stimuli (triggers) is damaging… the individuals are frail

Jonathan Haidt

Some forms of cognitive distortion as expressed in the Coddling of the American Mind article:

• Blaming
• Spot-lighting effect

In your life as well as your psychology coursework and study, where have you observed the importance of freedom and perceived control?

Locus of Control