Good normative parenting: towards a non-teleological and relational ideal

Esther Dermott*, Timothy M Fowler*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Parenting seems to be continually in the spotlight for political and social commentators. Meanwhile academic and practitioner work on children and child welfare explores how parents can best deliver for children as what parents do is seen as the route to a happy and successful childhood and future adulthood. This theoretical paper argues that a focus on outcomes for children has led to the role of parents being overstated and its significance mischaracterized. The paper contends that good parenting should not be judged in terms of child outcomes either in the present or future and, therefore, that focusing all attention on which aspects of children’s wellbeing should be prioritized is misguided. Instead, it proposes that good parenting is better understood as a form of relationship centred around the concepts of intimacy, care, and equality; and unpacks some of the implications of this shift in approach.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Family Studies
Early online date11 Dec 2023
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 11 Dec 2023

Research Groups and Themes

  • Families and Parenting
  • SPS Children and Families Research Centre

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