PARENTING IN DANG. ENVIR.

Parenting in Dangerous Environments

Alzada-Rose Vanarsdale
University of Memphis

PARENTING IN DANG. ENVIR.

When is enough, enough? Is when the parent is struggling to make ends meet? Is it when
the child is skipping school to sell the latest it drug or even ditching school to go get high off
the latest it drug? There will never be a correct answer to any of these questions. Everything is
debatable. Enough is only enough when the main party is dissatisfied with their current situation.
Modern day parenting, in my opinion, is of rare form. Depending upon the relationship
between the parents will determine the outcome of the child. This statement again is debatable
but in some cases it is the truth. No two parents are the same; each parent has their niche or
unique way to parent their child. Windsor et al states that parenting styles influence child
development mainly through the moderating effect on the relationship between parenting
practices and development outcomes.
To further understand this concept, lets discuss the relationships between Sally, Emily
and David Johnson. Sally is currently separated from David Johnson. They have joint custody of
their daughter, Emily. Since the separation, Sally has been struggling to make ends meet which
resulted in her living condition. Emily lives with her mom during the week and their relationship
is Permissive. They are best friends who share every detail regarding life, boys, makeup and
school. Proponents of co-sleeping say that it promotes closeness and Bonding between parent
and child, and a feeling of security and Safety in an infant (Flaskerud, 2013).On the other hand,
after the separation David is still maintaining a normal life without his wife. Emily comes to visit
him during the weekend and she loathes their quality time. This is mainly because Davids
parenting style is one of an authoritarian. He sets high expectations and demands his child to be
successful. Emily is not as close to her father as she is with her mother. The Johnsons are an
example of how modern families operate. These varying trends, and the pattern for the U.S. in

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particular, confirm that family structure is by no means destiny. Ample

evidence indicates the potential for enhancing family environments,
regardless of their makeup, to improve the quality of parenting, nurturing,
and stimulation, and promote healthy child development (Woessmann,
2015).
In addition, families come in all shapes and sizes. The all American, Average family is
what most families aspire nowadays to become. Again, no two families are the same so the
Johnson and the Jacksons should not compare lifestyles. The all American average family is a
stereotype, the states what all families are like. This stereotype proclaims that in order to have a
successful marriage one must obtain a spouse, a big house, a white picket fence, a dog, two
children (male and female). As stated above are a few of the qualifications to be become the
average family; oh, so much to become successful.
Windsor et al states that a child raised by his family is to be respectful of others and to
follow instructions well equipped to interact with peers and teachers at school. On the other
hand, a child who is brought up in a neglectful family would probably have difficulties
interacting with peers and students at school (2015). Many students in todays society struggle to
fit in or even make friends. Most of these students become introverts, who will do anything
possible to fit in. Even if this means vomiting every day until they become their ideal body
image. Windsor et al states that this is an overwhelming female problem with no more than 15%
of males exhibiting the conditions of anorexia or bulimia and no more than 35 % of males
experiencing binge eating (2015). These behaviors are oh so common in the average child, that
far too often these behaviors get overlooked.

PARENTING IN DANG. ENVIR.

In my opinion, some of these behaviors can be avoided if the child obtains the love they
most certainly deserved. Love that most of them kids try to find elsewhere; places such as the
liquor store, the streets, in the arms of a lover are all far too common. On the negative end, some
kids commit suicide because of their sexuality. Confident adolescence acquired this mindset
through the media, listening to their hearts and cultural causes. This same acquired sexuality that
they may have been bashed, for by their parents, role model or mentor. The lack of love in a
family, no matter the form, will cause so much destruction.
By the same token, various aspects of parenting can affect a childs mental
development. There are four main parenting styles, authoritarian, authoritative, permissive and
neglectful. Authoritarian is the first parenting style. These parents are stern and set high
expectation for their children which results in their childrens belief that life is not fair. The next
parenting style is authoritative. Parents of this nature sets rules and are highly responsive of their
childs feelings. The kids of these parents are readily prepared for life. Then, permissive parents
encourage freedom and strive to become their childs friend. Their children are mostly conceited
and lack motivation for school. Lastly there are the neglectful parents. This parenting style does
not need a vivid description because we all know a neglectful parent. Most kids that come from
these parents are unsuccessful and sometimes obtain low self-esteem.
To further this idea, authors, Dorsey and Forehand conducted research on the sanity of a
child living in various environments. However, they mainly focused on the psychosocial
adjustment of African American children living in poverty. In the current study, the social capital
is hypothesized to relate to child psychosocial adjustment through three
avenues: the indirect relation to child psychosocial adjustment problems
through bolstering positive parenting and through decreasing
neighborhood danger as well as a direct negative relation between social
capital and adjustment problems (Dorsey et al, 2015).

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Many parents do not understand the effect of neglect. The various environments a child
is brought up in is a key component but the love and care of a child is a greater factor. Some of
worst behaving children come from the suburbs, whom attend an awesome private school. These
kids number one priority is maintaining a good reputation on the outside. Many of the kids
society expects to be a nuisance to society because of their environment tend to be beneficial to
society. A few examples of this idea are Queen Latifah, Jennifer Lopez and Jay-Z. These guys are
well renowned professionals of their craft. One does not have to live up to what society or the
stereotype project of them. The sky is the limit!
In conclusion, parenting in various environments does affect how a child may perceive the
world. The four main parenting styles foreshadow the childs future. And the love and tender care
of a child can either make or break a person. Proper parenting is key in the todays society. The
sky is the limit.

References

Dorsey, S., & Forehand, R. (2003). The relation of social capital to child psychosocial
adjustment
difficulties: the role of positive parenting and neighborhood dangerousness. Journal Of

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Psychopathology & Behavioral Assessment, 25(1), 11.

Flaskerud, J. H. (2013). A place for moderation in parenting. Issues In Mental Health Nursing,
34(3), 209
Windsor, D.L., Murrell, V.S., & Magun-Jackson, S. (2015). Lifespan development: An
educational
psychology perspective, Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions.
Woessmann, Ludger, (2015). An international look at the single-parent family; family structure
matters
more for U.S. students. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Education Next 15.2 : 42+.
Web.