Read Davis & Thompson (2014) and Diener (2021), complete this handout as you read
Davis & Thompson (2014)
Link to Diener 2021 reading; complete this handout as you read
Watch the video What Babies Learn Before They are Born, complete this handout while watching the video.
Watch the video Prenatal to Birth and complete this handout as you watch the video. The video is available from BMCC’s Library video data base Films on Demand, follow the steps on this handout or in this video to locate the video.
ANSWER
Respond to the questions below, include and cite (this video explains how to cite) specific references to the videos and readings in this activity:
- Think about specific family with children that you know.
- Describe the family composition — members of the family and ages of the children.
- How do the challenges the adults face parenting their children differ based on the age of their children?
- Do your observations fit with Galinsky’s stages of parenting? How?
- What contextual factors and sociocultural contexts impacted their parenting behaviors? How?
- Based on fetal programming/ fetal origins theory, what impact could the fetal exposure to the COVID pandemic (not the virus) have on the later health and development of babies, children, teens, and adults?
REPLY
Identify 1 colleague who identified contextual or sociocultural contexts that were different than the ones in the family you identified. In your reply, explain how the challenges the adults face parenting their children in the family you focused on are similar to and different from the challenges the adults face parenting their children in the family your colleague selected.
I am replying to Jen’s comment
1. Describe the family composition — members of the family and ages of the children.
The family have two members the mother and the father including 4 children. The first is 12, the second is 10, the third is 8 and the last one is 6.
2. How do the challenges the adults face parenting their children differ based on the age of their children?
In every stage the parents are having a transition with their children because as they growing up they barely want to listen to their parents and as parents they have to keep up giving them good examples act right in front of them. Make sure they follow rules , go to school, eat, do their homework and others. All of these things are sometimes a hard challenging for the parents to face.
3. Do your observations fit with Galinsky’s stages of parenting? How?
Yes, because the parents have to respond to the change of the children.
4. What contextual factors and sociocultural contexts impacted their parenting behaviors? How?
Contextual factors that might impact the parents behavior might be economically or separation and sociocultural will be how the children are behaving in society . Because sometimes parents might be worried on how society might see their children with the way they raised them.
Ruth — Thanks for your comment in this module. Having 4 children can be a challenge; I wonder, how does the family parent the 12 year old versus the 6 year old? What do they do that is the same? I wonder, how specifically does the family relate to Galinsky’s stages of parenting? I wonder, what are the specific contextual and socialcultural contexts that are impacting the family that has 4 children –ages 12, 10, 8 & 6? I wonder, how does your response specifically connect to the readings & materials in this module?
Hi Ruth,
Your observation regarding the family in question never set the intention for any of their children to begin with, so even though those set of parents want to show their children a good example, they fall short in terms of discipline, and setting boundaries in the very beginning with their children, which makes trying to implement those “good examples” for each child almost impossible now that the children are older and have developed without those set of boundaries from their parents when it mattered .
Furthermore, this differs from your observations on your family because the mother ended up taking over the role of sole provider (socio-economical) and the father was absent in his children’s lives unless it was to cause chaos and conflict, which can cause a great shift in their familiar dynamic. The eldest children ended up taking on the nurturing quality, and mothering their younger siblings, so when the mother did try to step in and assert discipline or boundaries and could not, she began to understand the impact of her absence due to trying to provide in one area in terms of giving them their basic needs but ultimately neglecting their emotional needs, and keeping the troublesome father in their lives who ultimately provided nothing but indifference
Hi Ruth,
I agree, some people may think it’s easy to make sure you’re child is always doing what they’re supposed to but if you have more than one child, it’s very difficult to stay on top of every single one of them. I also put in my answer how it can be challenging to parent children in different age groups because they require different attention/nurturing.
1. Describe the family composition — members of the family and ages of the children.
The family that I am thinking of consists of a single mother and a mostly absentee father, they have four children the ages ranging from 29 to 14 years old.
2. How do the challenges the adults face parenting their children differ based on the age of their children?
The challenges are already there due to the inconsistency of the parental figures, the father is both present and not, he is not a constant fixture in his children’s lives, but he does manage to insight chaos when he is in the picture, even if his appearances are brief in nature. The mother, being a single and raising four children with large gaps in age, the eldest child and the youngest having an almost ten-year age difference, the mother is the sole provider of the household, and she is overworked. The accommodations of for each child is different for both parents, the eldest children have become akin to that of a parent to their younger siblings when their parents could not provide the aspects of nurture and attention needed in at important times of development, while the eldest children are at the prime age, they end up being the mirror image to their parents capabilities, what they’ve been able to achieve thus far, how they’ve been able to progress both with and without their parents help, the eldest children are seen as dependable, reliable, and like a second set of parents. The dynamic differs drastically from their younger siblings who are still in the prime of their development, they are in the prime age where they understand their family dynamic, and their feelings behind it, while their environment is stable in terms of shelter, their emotional needs that only parents can woefully provide leaves a lot to desired, and with lack of parental guidance while their children are encroaching upon the beginning of their adolescence, their youngest children will be emotional stunted.
3. Do your observations fit with Galinsky’s stages of parenting? How?
My observations closely resemble that of Galinsky’s stages of parenting. The youngest children would be placed in Galinsky’s Interpretive Stage and Interdependent Stage, I say that because despite the last two children of the Smith Family being teenaged, their development reflects that of the interpretive stage, where their basic needs are being met, but not their emotional. Their adolescence can be categorized as the reflective images of their parents, parenting, or lack thereof. In adolescence, at least from my observation, is a true testament, after the initial stages of development (birth to infancy) that can really be the telltale sign of the failures of parenting, which leads into Galinsky’s Interdependent Stages. The parents can see their failures with more clarity, the mother’s disciplining skills might need adjusting, her attention may need to be refocused, her authoritarian and control may falter, teenagers will be more vocal in their discomfort, or they may out for attention that was not given to them by both parents, the relationships between the youngest two and their parents, may need to be met with more communication, and care, versus the eldest two who are far into The Departure Stage, the eldest two have been conformation of both parents inconsistency, but the eldest two have already moved on, their relationship dynamic with both their absentee father and overworked mother have taken on a new light, they are regarded as parental figures, but not as authentic parents, but the eldest two are their parents defining moments, they are a their results, the eldest two are an exact reflection of their parenting skills, while the youngest two children are their reaffirmation in their identity as parents.
4. What contextual factors and sociocultural contexts impacted their parenting behaviors? How?
The mother staying with the absentee father and keeping him in his children’s lives even if he became more of a problem and nuisance, rather than focusing on his role as a father, she felt that he was their father and could not cut off access from his children, even when his fatherly duties were never met. The mother being overwhelmed and overworked, being the sole provider of four children and trying to keep her family with a roof over their heads, even if meant that she never got to spend much time with her children, and while she was consistent in being the definitive parental figure in their lives, she ended up neglecting their emotional needs.
2. Based on fetal programming/ fetal origins theory, what impact could the fetal exposure to the COVID pandemic (not the virus) have on the later health and development of babies, children, teens, and adults?
In terms of exposure to the COVID pandemic, the impact on health and development of babies, children, teens, and adults later is going to be so great. The amount of stress during such a sensitive time, even in regard to debt, poverty, housing issues, mental health, homelessness, is going to probably reshape human development as a whole, I think that there will definitely be a lot more cases of ADHD, especially with how many children have not been exposed to their others their age for what over a year and a half, so their inability to concentrate for hours on end is going to be an issue, also the level of suicide rates from those in isolation, those who have anxiety already, trying to get back into the workforce, their apprehension of this happening again, and I think that all of these groups will continue to be effected on a global scale because this COVID pandemic isn’t even close to over, yet.
Greetings Nakia,
The challenges the adults face parenting their children in the family you focused on are similar to mine in a way that the mother in my family also provides for her daughter without the father, although the mother in your scenario wanted to keep the father around to have a father figure around mine didn’t. The mother I observed wanted to do her own thing and try her best to raise her daughter with or without the father around.
Yasmin — Thanks for replying to Nakia’s comment! Interesting how the mother you focused on and the mother Nakia focused on had different responses to the absentee fathers. I wonder, why could that be?
Nakia — Thanks for your detailed response! You connected the material from this module to your comment. You offer detailed insights into the family then apply Galinsky’s stages to the family thoughtfully — reflecting on the adults in relation to each family member. I appreciate you insights about the family; I wonder, do you have any thoughts about or reactions to the father? I sense that you may have feelings about him. I wonder, what sociocultural contexts affect the family? How? It will be interesting to see the impact of COVID on fetus’ when they are children & adults. The stress & isolation associated with the pandemic will have lasting impact on the health & well-being of fetus’ developing during the pandemic.
My observations on the family in regards to the mother ended up taking over the role of sole provider (socio-economical) and the father was absent in his children’s lives unless it was to cause chaos and conflict, which can cause a great shift in their familiar dynamic.
The eldest children ended up taking on the nurturing quality and mothering their younger siblings, so when the mother did try to step in and assert discipline or boundaries and could not, she began to understand the impact of her absence due to trying to provide in one area in terms of giving them their basic needs but ultimately neglecting their emotional needs, and keeping the troublesome father in their lives who ultimately provided nothing but indifference.
The father’s issues involving his absent and problematic nature stems from his own experiences from his childhood and his relationship on not having a father in his own life growing up, he’s a direct reflection of his own father’s lack of nurture and irritates behavior at times, he didn’t have the tools to know how to be a father to his own children and mirrored his father’s reactions in his own life and without the appropriate tools to unlearn those behaviors from his father, he used the same examples on his children
Hi Naika. Really like your responses and I also feel related to the single parenting, because I was raised by a single mother and I know how frustrating and overwhelmed it can be for both children and the single parent. I know despite I didn’t have both in the same house she did her best so we don’t feel the missing part, but at the same time it’s still will be a big factor not being raised by both.
Ruth — Thanks for replying to Nakia’s comment. Thanks for sharing your experience of being raised by a single mother. I wonder, how will your experience impact the single mothers that you work with?
Describe the family composition — members of the family and ages of the children.
-The specific family that I will discuss about consists of a 25 year old mother, a 27 year old father and a 4 year old girl. Parents are separated and share custody, the child lives with the mother, grandmother and aunt.
How do the challenges the adults face parenting their children differ based on the age of their children?
-The challenges the adults face parenting their child is gender, beliefs, personality, developmental history, knowledge about parenting and child development, and mental and physical health. As a women the mother feels more attachment toward her daughter opposed to the father . Their belief that their daughter is better off with her mother and not the father because she is a female and could identify more in a home filled with females. Both parents are prideful. The mother is facing economic problems and stress but won’t ask help from the father. The times the father visits his daughter he spoils her daughter and don’t set limits. The mother ends up getting upset because at the end of the day the daughter gets disoriented and won’t comply with house rules, such as picking up after herself and eating in the dinner table rather eating in the bedroom. The mother was raised in a single family house hold, mom raised her and the father was raised by his grandparents. Both parents are first time parents. Both parents gave goals the mother has a full time job and occasions has a extra side job to provide. The father is the owner of a restaurant with his brother and has a job as a bartender. Parents who are more agreeable, conscientious, and outgoing are warmer and provide more structure to their children.
Do your observations fit with Galinsky’s stages of parenting? How?
– My observations fit Galinky’s stages of parenting when in comes to setting rules and guidance in the child behavior in a preschool stage. Despite the separation of the parents their daughter is expected to have rules and guidance in her behavior. The mother sets rules in her house hold and the father’s decision to have her daughter raised in a female home so set examples and behavioral guidance
What contextual factors and sociocultural contexts impacted their parenting behaviors? How?
Some contextual factors and sociocultural context that impacted their parenting behavior are economical hardship and social support. Both parent didn’t grow in a house hold with both parents or no parents at all and was only raised by the grandparents. Both have two types of jobs to provide for their child in common. The mother won’t ask help from the father regarding money wise nor the father would give. He expects for the mother to ask when she needs economic support. The mother has the support from her own mother and sister to provide for her daughter when she is not around.
Based on fetal programming/ fetal origins theory, what impact could the fetal exposure to the COVID pandemic (not the virus) have on the later health and development of babies, children, teens, and adults?
Based on fetal programming the impact of COVID pandemic have on the later health is staring with maternal stress. Maternal stress eventually could leed to delayed infant and child cognitive, language and neuromotor development. Children become fearful and more reactive to novelty.
Yasmin — Thanks for your comment in this activity. I appreciate your thoughtful & detailed insights about this family. You describe the complex nature of the family’s dynamics. You identify finances and support networks as contextual & sociacultural factors that are impacting this family; I wonder, can you identify other factors? Based on Galinksy’s stages of parenting model, I wonder, what stage would the mother and father fall into? Why?
1. This family consists of a mother, a father, and three children. One child is 12 and the two other children are 6 year old twins.
2. The 12 year old child gets frustrated with her younger siblings because she feels like she doesn’t get her own space and privacy, since her siblings are always touching and messing with her personal belongings, or are always around her and bothering her. The child may want more attention from her parents but does not receive it all of the time because the parents are more focused on the younger children. When it comes to the younger children, they are pretty much allowed to be themselves because the parents like for their children to be “free-spirited”. The older child was always more quiet and to herself but also very sensitive and any time something would happen with her siblings, she would get upset and cry. The parents would not comfort her but only ask her why she is crying over something her younger siblings did and why she lets her younger siblings get her so upset. For the twins, one is a girl and one is a boy. The boy is very active and has a lot of energy but often doesn’t know where to put it all and he is known to play rough. The parents struggled with showing him how to play nicely with other children. The girl also does not like to share with other children and this was something she needed to be corrected on as well.
3. I think it shows the Authority Stage because the parents create rules and figure how to effectively guide their children’s behavior. Since they have 3, they try to be fair in giving them all the same bedtimes, rules, and punishments. The second is Interpretive Stage because when teaching the children how to properly interact with other children, they are explaining the children’s actions to them and teaching them what’s wrong and what’s right. The last one is Interdependent stage because with the oldest child, she is now old enough to make her own decisions for herself, with parental guidance of course.
4. Some contextual factors I believe would be economically and separation because the parents are now separated and are both financially independent now. Since the children are staying with the mother, she now has to find an apartment that’s more affordable yet has enough space for herself and her three children to live comfortably. Socioculturally will be how the children behave because the parents expect them to behave correctly and get upset when they do not.
1. I believe COVID-19 plays a big role on pregnant women in giving them maternal stress because they are constantly in fear. Some women have a constant anxiety that they are in danger once out in public. It doesn’t even feel right to go anywhere without a mask anymore. Some people do not know how to keep their space, which makes it even harder. This may cause the child to have anxiety when the are older and become more fearful.
Madison — Thanks for your comment in this activity. You clearly described the family & their dynamics. You identified which stages of development the family is in, according to Galinksy. Children who were fetuses during COVID could have increased anxiety. similar to children born to wommin pregnant during 9/11.
1. Describe the family composition — members of the family and ages of the children.
The family consists of a mother, father, a 6 year old, and a one year old
2. How do the challenges the adults face parenting their children differ based on the age of their children?
The parents have different parenting skills. The father is more stern on the 6 year old boy versus the one year old girl, for obvious reasons of course. The 6 Y.O tends to act out due to lack of attention. The mother is more of a relaxed parent, but still stern.
3. Do your observations fit with Galinsky’s stages of parenting? How?
My observations fit Galinksy’s stages of parenting because the parents raise the one Y.O based off of the authority stage and raise the 6 Y.O based off of the interpretive stage.
4. What contextual factors and sociocultural contexts impacted their parenting behaviors? How?
I’d say economical and cultural impacts their parenting behavior. They make the best decisions based off of their monetary status and based off of where they live and go to work, most decisions stem from that as well.
5. Based on fetal programming/ fetal origins theory, what impact could the fetal exposure to the COVID pandemic (not the virus) have on the later health and development of babies, children, teens, and adults?
COVID has an extreme impact on pregnant women. They feel like they have to live in fear and sometimes worry about the safety of their unborn child. Also, it could potentially cause delays in infant development.
Hello Essence,
I liked reading your response. I chose your response as there are certain small similarities in the way the father is more stern and the mother less so as with my family. My family differs in the way that money is of abundance but is not the main deciding factor in their decisions or parenting.
Essence — Thanks for your comment in this activity. I wonder, what do you say that the family is in the authority and interpretive stage? Many families make decisions from their financial status, geographic location and work context. I wonder, what sociocultural factors impact the family? When pregnant wimmin experience stress and fear it can impact fetal development; I wonder, how might the COVID-19 pandemic affect fetuses’ in other ways after they are born?
Describe the family composition — members of the family and ages of the children.
The family consists of a mother, father and two children, boys age 5yrs old and 2 1/2.
How do the challenges the adults face parenting their children differ based on the age of their children?
The parents face challenges in regards to the older child due to behavioral issues. The 5 year old is very high strung, very active, hyper and very temperamental. he is quick to scream and throw himself on the floor when he does not get his way. The father tends to lose patience quickly during episodes of tantrums from the 5 year old and uses tough love. The father is the main disciplinarian for the older child. The younger child does not get that side from the father. The father is extremely patient with the smaller child and displays a more mellow attitude with the younger child. The mother gets very flustered with the older child and breaks down easily. She gives in to the older child’s demands and tantrums to avoid scenes in public or to make the problem or screaming just stop. They do not realize that by being on different pages with the parenting now it is setting the wrong foundation for the future. The younger child is showed favoritism causing the older child to feel badly and feel ignored. This can lead to further behavior and esteem issues for the older child in the future. The older child is also aware that if daddy says no he can just go to mommy and get his way. This can cause conflict not only with the children but in the marital relationship.
Do your observations fit with Galinsky’s stages of parenting? How?
yes. In speaking to the parents when they were with the first child they did not really know what they were doing and learning as they went. They were so excited in the image making 1st stage- discussing how many things they would do with the child, places they would go and how they would act with the child in different scenarios. 2nd Nurturing- When the first child was growing up they showered him in affection and spoiled him in every way. during this time they had the second child. The older child began acting out as a cry for attention and for the 1st time 3rd stage- they had to learn to be authoritative and discipline in ways they never had to deal with prior. Now in the 4th stage Interpretive- They are seeing the difference in the behavior and temperament of the children. The parents tell me they feel to blame for the older childs tantrums. They know they lacked knowledge about parenting and in giving the child everything he wanted without boundaries they are paying the price now. They see and reflect on certain things they did with the older child such as spoiling and have been different with the 2 year old. They engage with the 2 year old in things where they failed to do so with the older child. They are now at the point where they are trying to correct where they went wrong in their parenting with the first child. The foundation has been set and it is difficult now for the child to accept certain limitations and boundaries that were never in place for him prior.
What contextual factors and sociocultural contexts impacted their parenting behaviors? How? The parents are from different cultural backgrounds. The mother in her culture expects that the children should be quiet and calm less vocal whereas the father is very expressive and encourages the children to speak and be outgoing which creates confusion in the household. They are getting a different standard from each parent. The father also did not come from money and worked very hard for his success whereas the mother comes from wealth. The father believes in earning rewards whereas the mother sometimes just gifts without cause.
Based on fetal programming/ fetal origins theory, what impact could the fetal exposure to the COVID pandemic (not the virus) have on the later health and development of babies, children, teens, and adults? STRESS! Stress is a major factor with the pandemic affecting expectant mothers in many ways. They are in fear, suffer anxiety and bouts of isolation. Many are separated from their loved ones and feeling alone. Expectant mothers are at great risk so the constant worrying and loneliness set in affecting the mothers mental and physical state thus affecting the fetus. Some mothers i know were overeating from the stress and some were losing their appetite from the worry. All these factors affect the fetus health and developmental well being and growth. Children were home and anxious. They were isolated from their peers and were stuck at home in one place. This a huge change for any child. The children were unable to socialize or play with friends leaving them lonely, sad or with energy they could not release. Teenagers were greatly affected. Many resorted to only zoom interactions and were isolated away from their social circles and activities as well as school. Learning was a challenge for many. Adults as per myself have become very cautious and anxious in groups of people and certain scenarios. The freedom we had to not worry about certain factors are now a factor of life and death. We no longer have the freedom to hug without worry or be close to others without concern or fear. Jobs have been greatly affected and have caused many adults great financial and emotional hardship leading to stress and depression for so many. The pandemic has had a great impact on people of every age.
Ronnell — Thanks for your comment in this activity. I appreciate your description of the family dynamics. You describe how the family embodies the different stages of parental development. I wonder, how is the mother and father’s different cultural upbringings impacting their parenting — besides just giving gifts or not? Stress is a major factor in the pandemic. Using fetal origins theory to think of wimmin who are pregnant during the pandemic, I wonder, what impact will the stress of the pandemic have on the health and well-being of the fetuses’ after they are born, as they are babies, children, teens, and adults?