Introduction:

Views of children have changed dramatically over the last 500 years. Changes may be viewed as positive or negative. For example, stern parenting styles from the Victorian era have developed today into more collaborative parenting styles that involve children in family decision-making. Some research in child development has shown that a collaborative or authoritative (rather than authoritarian) approach to parenting is associated with better adult outcomes (Mullins, 2018). On the other hand, some parents today may be overprotective and risk-averse compared to previous generations which reduces opportunities for children to confidently explore their environment (APA, 2018). This is in contrast to Indigenous communities in Canada that value autonomy in children:

Sheperd (2008) found that Aboriginal parents from Canada more often than EuroCanadian mothers, allowed their children to decide how much to explore their environment. The Inuit in Canada also viewed autonomy and independence as vital to parent and child interactions and as such, Inuit parents looked for indications from their children to guide their own responses. (Muir & Bohr, 2014, p. 70).

Forum Question:

Read the article below on the history of childhood and then watch at least 1 of the videos in the list below. When you are done viewing the materials, summarize in your own words some of the ways that our views of children and parenting have changed over time. Also-express your opinion on whether or not the changes you have identified have been beneficial to children, families, and communities. You may use information from other sources in your response as well.

Article-Canadian Encyclopedia-History of Childhood: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/history-of-childhood

Videos

History of Childhood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MqMuqJpVyM

Hidden Histories: Childhood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwPgnpC3PVs

The Evolution of Parenting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALMHIVCB4fs

It Takes a Team: The Evolution of Parenting in the 20th Century:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJMxtRL9M-Y

Parenting & Discipline-Indigenous perspectives: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzAr9UUTo8w

Parents React To Parenting Advice From The 1910s (Just for fun): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TEzwtRubP0&t=313s

Parents React To 1930s Parenting Advice (Just for Fun): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc9DnbPzB-A&t=237s

Babies scroll before they can crawl, how screen time affects kids’ brains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SIxv1MNYvk

References:

APA (2018). Helicopter parenting may negatively affect children’s emotional well-being, & behavior. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2018/06/helicopter-parenting

Muir, N., & Bohr, Y. (2014). Contemporary practice of traditional Aboriginal child rearing: A review. https://fpcfr.com/index.php/FPCFR/article/view/378

Mullins, J.L. (2018). Parenting styles and child behavior. https://www.psychologyinaction.org/psychology-in-action- 1/2018/4/23/k17ziyfqt1vy9tlytr9l9k48epdnur

Forum Marking Rubric

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