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Parenting is the process of raising and educating a child from birth until adulthood. This is usually done in a child's family by the mother and father (i.e., the biological parents). Where parents are unable or unwilling to provide this care, it is usually taken on by close relatives (including older siblings) and grandparents, adoptive parents, foster parents, godparents, or institutions (such as group homes or orphanages). Parens patriae refers to the public policy power of the state to usurp the rights of the natural parent, legal guardian or informal caregiver, and to act as the parent of any child or individual who is in need of protection.

Aspects of parenting

• Physical care:
  • Reliably providing shelter, education, medical care, physical safety, and nourishment.
• Social development and emotional support:
  • Love, play, and physical touch
  • Social skills and etiquette
  • Ethics and value systems
  • Moral and spiritual development
  • Norms and contributions to the child's religion and ethnic customs
• Financial support:
  • Money provided by custodial or non-custodial parent(s), or the state
  • Insurance coverage and payments for education

Parenting Methods and Practices

Parenting typically utilizes praise and punishment as tools of behavioral control. Some parents no longer consider spanking a necessary punishment. The term "child training" implies a specific type of parenting that focuses on holistic understanding of the child. The "Taking Children Seriously" philosophy sees both praise and punishment as manipulative and harmful to children and advocates other methods to reach agreement with them. The term "attachment parenting" seeks to create strong emotional bonds and avoid physical punishment, with discipline being accommodated by interactions recognizing a child's emotional needs.

• Discipline:
  • Time-out
  • Spanking
  • Taking Children Seriously (TCS) philosophy
  • Parental supervision

• Parenting fundamentals:
  • Structure
  • Accountability
  • Consistency
  • Motivation

Pregnancy and the Early Years

Pregnancy and Prenatal Parenting

During pregnancy the unborn child is affected by many decisions his or her parents make, particularly choices linked to their lifestyle. The health and diet decisions of the mother can have either a positive or negative impact on the child.

Many people believe that parenting begins with birth, but the mother begins raising and nurturing a child well before birth. Scientific evidence indicates that from the sixth month on (and possibly earlier)the unborn baby is able to feel, hear, sense, be aware of, and possibly remember. Based on this evidence a mother begins parenting before birth.

Parenting Infants

Being the parent of an infant is a major responsability. Infants require a lot of care including (but not limited to) feeding, bathing, changing diapers, and health care. Common parenting issues in infancy:

• Infant care:
  • Teething
  • Sleep
  • Breastfeeding
  • Baby bottle
  • Diaper rash
  • Baby Colic
  • Immunization
  • Childhood development
  • Paternal bond

Parenting Toddlers

Parenting a Toddler is a lot of work. Parenting responsabilities during the toddler years include (but are not limited to) feeding, bathing, potty training, ensuring their safety, teaching, and attending to their wellness. Common parenting issues with toddlers:

• Toilet training
• bathing

Preschool and School Years

Preschool Parenting

Parenting responsabilities for preschool age children often include (but are not limited to)feeding, bathing,teaching, ensuring their safety, and attending to their wellness. Parents are expected to make decisions about preschool education. Issues related to parenting preschool age children:

• preschool education
• early childhood education

School Years

Parenting responsabilities during the school years include (but are not limited to) feeding, assisting with education, ensuring their safety and wellness, and providing them with a loving and nuturing home environment. Issues related to parenting school age children:

• Education:
  • Kindergarten
  • Primary education
  • Adolescence
  • Secondary education
  • High school

Assistance

Parents may receive assistance from a variety of individuals and organizations. Employers may offer specific benefits or programs for parents.

• Parental leave

Parenting assessment

There are several parent self-report measures that have been developed for use by clinicians and researchers to assess parenting, such as the Parenting Stress Index (PSI; Abidin, 1995) and Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI; Bavolek, 1984). Parenting measures can also be observational, such as the Parent-Child Interaction Assessment-II (PCIA-II; Holigrocki, Kaminski, & Frieswyk, 1999).