Sample Assignments – III. A Closer Look at Parenting

Introduction

Chapter III overviews parenting.  Parenting styles influence the development of children’s social and emotional growth.  It is a major area of study for developmental psychologists.  We will examine a variety of parenting styles and analyze how culture impacts them.  We will also define attachment theory and discuss its application to our evolving definition of “family” that we explored in Chapters I and II.

You will find it helpful to review the following preview videos to pair with your reading:

5 Parenting Styles and Their Effects on Life

The Attachment Theory: How Childhood Affects Life

Discussion Prompt A:

1. Read Chapter III
2. Listen to the following podcast:  She wanted to vaccinate their kids against COVID. He didn’t.  A judge had to decide
3. Consider the co-parenting model and debate presented to the caregivers in the story.  Choose 2 of the questions below to respond to.
   • What questions would you ask the caregivers in this story about their parenting relationships?
   • What questions would you ask the caregivers in this story about their co-parenting future?
   • What questions would you ask the children in this story?
   • What strategies would you offer to this family as it moves forward into the future?

  Discussion Prompt B:

1. Read Chapter III.
2. Think back to your own childhood and consider the rules, discipline strategies, warmth, and support of your household.
3. What socioeconomic or cultural factors influenced your childhood experiences with rules, discipline strategies, warmth, and/or support in your household?

Discussion Prompt C:

1. Read Chapter III.
2. Give an example from popular media for each parenting style discussed in Chapter III.

Reading Review

1. Read Chapter III.
2. Choose and answer 2 of the following Pause and Reflect questions.
3. Review Lemaster and Defrain’s Model of Parenting.
4. Create a case study or identify a family in popular media that exemplifies one of the categories of parenting outlined by Lemaster and Defrain’s Model of Parenting.

Reflection

1. Chapter III discusses parenting styles.  Refer back to the Bio-Ecological Theory Model from Chapter I and think about the connections between this model and the content of Chapter III.
2. Choose one of the following questions:

• • Which parenting style were you raised in? How did you determine this? Connect this to a memory.
  • If you are a parent now, which style are you? If you are not a parent, which style do you believe you will follow? Why?
  • How did your parent’s parenting style impact you as a child, and as an adult today? Connect this to the Bioecological Model.

Optional Bonus

Recommend strategies for educators on how to work with children who display insecure attachments.