Glossary 607
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Intensive care area for newborns that
require emergency care; has special
equipment (machines, monitors, and
incubators) and medical staff to help
babies survive. (11)
neonate. Meaning newborn, a name for the
baby from birth to one month. (11)
not-for-profi t. Program that operates as a
service to parents and uses profi ts to run
the program. (20)
nuclear family. A family that includes a
husband, wife, and their biological
children. (2)
nurturance. Loving care and attention. (1)
O
object permanence. An understanding of the
concept that people and objects still exist
even when they cannot be seen, heard, or
touched. (13)
obstetrician. Doctor who specializes in
providing medical care for pregnant
women and delivering babies. (9)
open adoption. Some degree of contact
between birthparents and adoptive
parents. (7)
open communication. Sharing of thoughts
and feelings between a parent and a
child (or between any two people). (5)
open toys. Toys that allow children to use
their imaginations and creative thinking
skills to devise new play activities. (14)
ovaries. A female’s almond-shaped organs
that store the immature egg cells. (7)
ovulation. Process through which one of
the female’s ovaries usually releases a
mature egg about once a month. (7)
P
parallel play. A form of play in which
children play alongside each other in the
same activity without interacting. (14)
parent. A person who gives birth to offspring
and brings up and cares for a child. (1)
parental leave. Paid or unpaid leave from
work to tend to parenting duties. (10)
parent educator. A person who teaches
parenting or child development to
adults. (22)
parenthood. The role of parenting in
society that involves legal rights and
responsibilities. (1)
parenting. The act or process of raising a
child. (1)
parenting style. The ways of parenting
infl uenced by parental values about what
is important in childrearing. (5)
parliamentary procedure. A set of rules
for making decisions and conducting
business in an orderly manner. (22)
partner abuse. Any physical, emotional,
sexual, stalking, or economic abuse of a
partner. (19)
pediatrician. Doctor who specializes in
providing medical care for infants and
children through the young adult
years. (10)
peer violence. Violence directed at a person
by someone in the same peer group. (19)
perceptual thinking. Intuitive thinking
based on how things appear. (15)
permanency planning. Plans for and legal
decisions about a foster child’s future
that often result in children waiting a
long time for parents. (18)
permissive. Parenting style in which parents
allow children to make their own
decisions with very few, if any, limits,
guidance, or consistent discipline. (5)
perseverance. Setting and pursuing
worthwhile goals and seeing them
through to completion. (6)
phobias. Extreme fears out of proportion to
the threat. (16)
physical development. The biological
changes in a person. (4)