Lesson 8 - Parenthood

Parenthood (1989) was entertaining on so many different levels! 

To name a few priceless moments, there's:
1. Steve Martin running around with children in a cowboy suit making intestinal figures out of balloons.

 

2. Keanu Reeves looking nothing like and having a character that probably shames "Neo" in "The Matrix".

 

3. "The Diarrhoea Song", by Kevin Buckman. 'Nuff said.


This story is about a family...

 .....

Yup, this BIG, extended family =) 

... and the experiences of the siblings, (Gil, Susan, Helen, Larry) now married, and parents themselves. The main theme that is reflected in this movie would be different parenting styles that they practice. It also shows the interwoven relationships within the family and how though chaos may be prevalent, in the end, love is the thing that really keeps them together. 


According to Diana Baumrind, there is a three-group classification system for parenting, which was based on the dimensions of control/demandingness and responsiveness. You could say on a scale, that these parenting styles range from "too strict" to " too soft". Examples are as follows: 


1. Authoritarian 
- Parents are rigid and demanding, expecting children to be high in maturity, discipline and supervision.
We see this in Patty's father, Nathan, who expects his daughter to be "nurtured in the right environment" and therefore spends all his time educating her with extreme amounts of academic knowledge so much so that he deprives her of having a "normal childhood" until she loses the skills of relating to other children her age and does not know how to have fun. 

2. Authoritative
- Parents are moderately demanding and responsive. They are firm but not too rigid, they are permissive to a certain degree. They try their best to be involved however they do not overindulge their children. 
Gil and Karen were authoritative parents. They allowed their children to have fun, and even went the extra mile for them (ie: when Gil dressed up and acted as a cowboy during Kevin's birthday party; when Gil and Karen rummaged through the garbage for Kevin's retainers). Though we do not see them punishing their children, we see the effects of good parenting - their children are obedient and well behaved. 


3. Permissive 

- Parents are overly responsive and too supportive of their children to the extend where there are no boundaries and too many inconsistencies are present. This results in the children being spoiled and overindulgent as they constantly get their way and have no structure to their lives. 
Helen was overly permissive to her children, resulting in them growing up to be inconsiderate children who did as they pleased. They even did things behind their mother's back (Her daughter Julie brought home a boy, Todd, with her and did unspeakable things with him in her own room; her son who watched porn and smashed up his father's office one night). They had no regard for the feelings of others and bullied their mother even though she tried so hard to please them. 


Contemporary researchers have added another category to parenting styles, neglectful parenting, or parenting whereby the parent is not responsive nor are they controlling. We see that in Larry, who comes home with a boy he just found out is his son, whom he conveniently names "Cool". 


It is interesting to see the dynamics of the family and how experiences for them in their childhood manifest or become contributing factors in how they treat their children in the future. 
Research has shown significant associations in parenting styles across generations. Parenting habits, whether good or bad tend to be passed on to children. In the show, we see that in Gil's perspective, his father was not a good father to him as a child. He therefore tries to be a perfect dad and tries to give his children his best. However, he finds that it is close to impossible to be a perfect dad and feels discouraged when he slips up. However, he learns from his grandmother, that parenting life is like a roller coaster, one that takes you up and down; and in time, he finds there is much joy in that, and sharing the journey with his wonderful wife Karen makes it all the more, better. 


All in all, this show.....

Reminded me of my thesis, which happens to revolve around the same topic of parenting. 

So Yeah. 

BoOoOo =(

For more info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098067/
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgrbuRNc-AQ

Reference: http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/documents/bornsteinANGxp.pdf