Obviously, there wouldn’t be a life cycle if it weren’t for parenting or rearing children. However, raising a child isn’t for everyone, and I often wonder what I would do if I was in a situation facing having a child. Basically, I believe that from conception children suck the life out of parents from the womb and even to the tomb. A study by Florida State University professor Robin Simon and Vanderbilt University's Ranae Evenson found that parents have significantly higher levels of depression than adults who do not have children. And, this depression often lasts after the child is grown up. The findings do not mean that parents don't find any pleasure in their roles; it's just that the emotional costs can outweigh the psychological benefits. "It's how we do parenting in this society," Simon said. "We do it in a very isolated way and everything is on us as individuals to get it right. Our successes are our own, but so are our failures. It's emotionally draining."
So let’s say the pros outweigh the cons and you decide to have a baby. Let’s hope you haven’t been ballin too hard since college because a kid is going to cost you. In 2004 (not including what it would cost in the 2009 economy!) The cost for a middle class couple to care for a child from birth to age 17 was $184,320 (that doesn’t include college!). This is a rough estimate of course, and it doesn’t include other money you lose on things like giving up a career to care for it, or even if you don’t there’s childcare. Yes folks, let’s not forget that the U.S. national average for full time day care is $611 a month, but in really good facilities and big cities it can be as high as 300+ per week.
Well, the fate of the world’s population depends on us to reproduce, so eventually despite these facts most of us are going to have children (I suppose there is that list of good things like fulfillment, love, togetherness, and all that stuff). Next, you have to decide how you want to raise this child, and there are many parenting styles and depending on which you choose will determine what your child grows up to be like. Above any of these styles, I think it is the way the child is socialized determines the personality (so there are no “bad” kids, it’s all on how the parents raise them). For example if you raise your voice, are aggressive, or use bad manners around your child, they are going to turn out that way.
1) Do you think the sacrifices are worth the fulfillment of a child? If we didn't have to reproduce would the majory of people still choose to?
2)Which of the 4 parenting styles presented by Baumrind is the most efficient for raising a child?
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1) Yes, I do think that the sacrifices are worth the fulfillment of having children. Nothing can compare to the blessing of having/raising children. It is a journey that lasts a lifetime, and yes, it does have its ups and downs, but I believe that there are many more ups involved. If reproduction wasn't a necessity, I believe that people would continue to reproduce for the sheer joy of it. Children make people happy, and no matter what, people will continue to reproduce.
ReplyDelete2) I believe that there is no specific parenting style that proves to be most efficient for every situation every time. Different situations can call for the need of different parenting styles. However; in general, I feel that authoritative parenting tends to be the most productive most often.