1. The Challenges of Parenting Do Now: What are some characteristics of a good parent?

2. Parenting: A Learning Process  Parenting: caring for children and helping them grow and develop  Parents Should  Have reasonable expectations  Develop parenting skills  The Stages of Parenthood  Image making (pregnancy)  Nurturing (Becoming attached Birth-2)  Authority (Determine rules 2-5)  Interpretive (Deciding on values 5-13)  Interdependent (Adolescence; establish boundaries)  Departure (Child leaves home, empty feeling)

3. The Changes that Parenthood Brings  New responsibilities and role conflict  Changes in lifestyle (sometimes suddenly)  Emotional adjustments (stop being selfish)  Changes in relationships  Employment  Irreversibility

4. Making Decisions About Parenthood  Emotional Maturity  Desire for parenthood  A child cannot create miracles; saving of marriage, low self- esteem, attention issues, etc.  Health Considerations  Financial Concerns (can you afford a child)

5. MOTHERHOOD MOTHERHOOD Intensive Mothering Ideology What mothers ought to provide:  Full-time attention  Self-sacrificing devotion  Expert guided  Labor-intensive involvement with the child  Child’s needs are more pressing than those of mothers WHAT MOTHER COULD LIVE UP TO THIS EVEN IF SHE STAYED AT HOME. WHAT IF SHE WORKED?

6. FATHERHOOD  Changes in sexual relations.  Anxiety about abilities, baby, money.  Witnessing birth is a positive bonding experience with child.  “Nurturing father” is able to participate in all parenting practices – child benefits.  Fatherhood is changing fast.

7. WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A FATHER Some Facts:  ½ of all children will spend part of their childhood in a father absent home.  32% of all children are born to unmarried women. Among African American it is 68%.  Children raised in two- parent families rarely experience poverty.  Data has linked growing up without a father to:  Under achievement in school  Mental illness  Drug abuse  Youth suicide  Delinquency  Crime

8. Parenting Activity  Parenting License  Create Requirements (at least 10)  Income, age, home, car, education, etc.  Create a Test (at least 10 questions)  What courses would you have parents to take?