40 Part 1 Decisions About Parenting
Galinsky’s Parenting Stages
Stage Timing of Stage
(based on child’s age)
Parental Tasks
Image-making Beginning of pregnancy
to birth
Prepare for changes in their relationship with each other
and with other family members and friends.
Form images of their unborn child and of themselves as
parents.
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Nurturing Birth to 18 or 24 months
(Ends when the child
begins to say “no.”)
Struggle to balance their baby’s and their own needs.
Give much loving care to the child.
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Authority 2 to 4 or 5 years Recognize that love for child goes hand-in-hand with
“rules” about behavior.
Help child see and comply with what is expected.
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Interpretive 5 or 6 to 12 years Share more facts and information about the world.
Interpret authority figures, such as teachers.
Teach values and morals. They guide children’s behavior.
Through guidance children learn to interpret social reality.
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Interdependent Teen years Share power with their children, but still maintain authority.
Monitor teen’s behavior and provide guidance.
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Departure Later teens or
early adult years
Evaluate themselves as parents.
Identify they are pleased where they have succeeded in
parenting.
Note ways in which they might have parented in a different
way and been more successful.
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2-9 Parenting stages show changes in the parent-child relationship from the parents’ view.
In a family system, parents and children
do not behave independently of one another.
In order to fully understand parenting,
look beyond the parent-child relationship.
This relationship can be influenced by each
family member’s characteristics. These
include age, health, and personality. It can
also be influenced by the way a family
communicates. Other family relationships,
such as the parent’s marriage, may impact
the family system. As you read the following,
you will discover there are several parts in
understanding family systems.
Parenting Goes Two Ways
In the past, it was thought that parenting
went one way, or only toward the children.
This belief held that the parents taught
children facts, values, and skills. Children
absorbed these teachings like a sponge.
Current research shows that parenting is
really a two-way process. Parents do influence
children, but the children also influence
parents, 2-10. For example, a fussy baby may
cause parents to feel less confident about their
parenting skills. Some parents seek help, but
others may see themselves as failures.