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12.10: Stages of Parenting

  • Page ID
    208183
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    Ellen Galinsky traced six distinct stages in the life of a parent in relation to their growing child. Much like how a child moves through stages. By looking at these different stages of parenting, those who work with children and youth can gain some insight into parental needs and concerns. [114]

    Table \(\PageIndex{1}\): Stages of Parenting
      Age of Child Main Tasks and Goals
    Stage 1: The Image-Making Stage Planning for a child; pregnancy Consider what it means to be a parent and plan for changes to accommodate a child.
    Stage 2: The Nurturing Stage Infancy Develop an attachment to child and adapt to the new baby.
    Stage 3: The Authority Stage Toddler and preschool Parents create rules and figure out how to effectively guide their child’s behavior.
    Stage 4: The Interpretive Stage Middle childhood Parents help their children interpret their experiences with the social world beyond the family.
    Stage 5: The Interdependence Stage Adolescence Parents renegotiate their relationship with adolescent children to allow for shared power in decision-making.
    Stage 6: The Departure Stage Early adulthood Parents evaluate their successes and failures as parents.
    Pause to Reflect

    How does understanding these stages assist in your work with parents?


    This page titled 12.10: Stages of Parenting is shared under a CC BY license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Cindy Stephens, Gina Peterson, Sharon Eyrich, & Jennifer Paris (College of the Canyons) .