ParentingInterview
1)What influences the way you parent your children? a. How does the wayyou were parented influence your parenting? b. How does your culture(i.e. race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, religion, work,etc.) influence your parenting? c. How do your experiences with yourchild influence the way you parent?
Inher opinion, my interviewee`s parenting is influenced by a number offactors that include her experiences with children as well as herculture. Being a firstborn, she had a chance of witnessing heryounger brother`s growth and development. As a result, she played arole in his parenting when the parents were absent. That was herfirst experience with children parenting. Having brought up understrict Chinese culture, she learned basics of parenting, challengesas well as major solutions. As a lady, she had a chance of beingtaught how to raise a child as it is considered part of adulthoodresponsibility. In addition, her job as a teacher has exposed her tochildren world where she has learned a child`s psychology and how tounderstand them better.
2)What has been the most rewarding aspect of being a parent, and why?
Asa parent, what she considers as the most rewarding aspect ofparenting is her understanding nature. Learning her child`spsychology and way of thinking helps her appreciate the kid`sactions. She encounters fewer struggles in dealing with impendingchallenges. Her children have grown to learn to express themselves,being corrected appropriately where necessary and it has boostedtheir self-esteem as well as discipline. The pride of every parent isto raise disciplined children that are creative and smart enough tocounter challenges. She claims to be lucky to have achieved thatreward at early stages of her children`s growth.
3)What has been the most challenging aspect of being a parent, and why?
Onthe other hand, she had encountered a challenging aspect in herparentage cycle and it happens to be the sacrifices. Parentage comeswith sacrifices that involve a change in priorities. That way, onesacrifices their time, money, needs as well as desires in order tomeet the needs of your child. It comes along with a lack of sleepright from conception to when the child is born. However, persistencebrings joy as you watch your kid grow. Sometimes one wonders aboutdecisions made when parenting and one cannot help but think somedecisions were wrong. However, these are challenges that one canovercome through a will to give the best to a child.
4)Has the way you parent changed as your children have aged? a. How hasyour parenting style changed from when your children werebabies/toddlers, to young children, to elementary aged children, toadolescents (if applicable), to young adults (if applicable)?
Parentingways change with the age of a child. A toddler has everything donefor them. That ranges from basics that are feeding, cleaning as wellas decision making. At this stage, the child is entirely dependent onthe parent and they have no capacity to do anything on their own. Asyoung children, kids are able to express what they want though stillenquire for parent`s opinions and permission. They are good atfollowing instructions and in most cases believe that parents andteachers are always correct. They believe their opinions are meredesires and can only be approved by an adult. As a parent, myinterviewee learns to give children as much as she could afford asper their interests.
Whenthe child is an adolescent stage, he/she believes they are right andeveryone else is wrong. Kids at this stage, fight for attention andto accomplish their missions. My interviewee claims that at thisstage she tried as much as possible to give guidance and counsel toensure that her children do not make wrong choices. No matter howmuch they reject corrections, she knows that it is the right thingand should try to make her view sensible. It is the hardest stage ofparenting. Young adults are the easiest to manage. They have a wideexperience that they can identify the right ring from the wrongthing. The role of the parent is to advice where necessary and toencourage the child to keep trying.
5)If you could go back and change anything about the way you haveparented, what would that be and why?
Myinterviewee believes that she was unnecessarily strict to herchildren at an early age. Partly it was influenced by her tirelessdesire to see the best from her children. Her strictness made hereldest child to withdraw at adolescence stage where she lost touchand grip. The moment stirred a lot of tension as she would notaccount for the kid`s action. It is a thing that she regrets since upto date that particular child grew to be discreet on her issues. Theinterviewee claims that her child used to fear her and it issomething she lives to regret.
6)What do you wish you would have known about being a parent prior tobecoming a parent?
Myinterviewee claims that she wished she knew that parenting requires alot of support to the child more than strictness. Before herparenting stage, she believed that a strict parent brings upmuch-disciplined children the kind that every parent desires. Sheforgot that children need to trust their parents and that trust comesalong with making the child comfortable and safe in your hands. It isa part that she missed that made her instill fear to her first bornchild that led to withdrawal. In addition, it has made the childantisocial and hardly trusts anyone. She now knows better that anenvironment can build into a child`s character.
7)What has been the most beneficial parenting advice you have beengiven? a. What would be the one piece of advice you would give afuture parent?
Iappreciate knowing that parenting is not a bed of roses and that ithas more to give than to receive. In as much as there is a joy thatcomes with having a child, one need to be prepared for challengesprevailing. A child requires a parent to lean on hence buildingtrust. Strictness does not enhance good behavior but it encourageswithdrawal. I would advise future parents to have insight on stagesof parenting so that they are not caught off guard and fail tofulfill their parenting duty. That way, they will understand theirchildren and they will have an easy time parenting them.
Myinterviewee was my first class aunt whom we are close and I take asmy guardian. I chose her because of her parentage skills influencedby her career and the fact that I believed she would be comfortableanswering my questions correctly. She has been teaching me a lot outof her experiences and I took this assignment as a chance to learnmore about these experiences. I like associating with her and Ibelieve as my role model I have a lot to learn from her.
Inconclusion, there are factors that determine parenting skills and onecan choose to become a great parent just by learning from others.However, before becoming a parent one should consider how to bring upthe child and what one believes is the best for the kid. It appliesmajorly when a child is a toddler as they entirely depend on aparent`s decision. Since a child also learns from adults around her,a parent should be determined to give the best exposure to ensurethat kids pick the best behavior.