Reflection - Unequal Childhoods - Book Report/Review Example

?Book Reflection: Unequal Childhoods The development of human society is interconnected with different methods related to childrearing. Some societies provide ample importance to the freedom of children and allow enough freedom to children. On the other side, some other societies provide less importance to individual freedom of children and parents decide the activities of their children. This primary difference constitutes the overall development of children in future. In our society, the middle class parents provide ample importance to proper socialization of their children. But socio-economic problems hinder the working class/lower class parents from being influential in their children’s future lives. Annette Lareau’s work deals with the different styles of child rearing adopted by middle class parents and working class/lower class parents and its future effect. Thesis statement: In the work Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life, Annette Lareau argues that the role of social economic class of the parents in childrearing is important because the same determines upward mobility of children in future. Arguments and background information: The most important argument put forth by Annette Lareau is that a student’s racial identity is a less determinant factor behind his or her progress in the future, but the social economic class of his or her parents is. One can easily identify the fact that the methods adopted by parents to rear their children are deeply influenced by their socio-economic class. Lareau (2003) states that, “In particular, I delineate a pattern of concerted cultivation in middle-class families and a pattern of the accomplishment of natural growth in working-class and poor families” (p.32). The study conducted by the author provides ample evidence to prove that socio-economic class of the parents determines the success of their children in future. One can see that the methods of childrearing are an influential factor behind their success in their public domain. The middle class parents adopt concerted cultivation method to encourage their children to acquire dignity. Lareau (2003) states that, “Discussions between parents and children are a hallmark of middle class child rearing” (p.1).These parents allow their children to get involved in organized activities beyond family. This method ensures proper socialization with others in the public domain. Besides, this method is favorable for the children who are from middle class families. On the other side, the working class parents adopt the method of natural growth. They never force their children to be under their direct control. Instead, they provide certain directives to their children and allow them to be free. Within this context, children are free from external influence but they never try to go beyond their private circles. At the same time, children feel security within their private circles. When they grow up, their sense of independence is not helpful to be successful in the public domain. To be specific, the students from working class families may be forced to have low paid jobs because the childrearing method adopted by their parents limits the scope of proper socialization. On the other side, the children from middle class parents excel in interviews because their parents allowed them to interact with elders. To be specific, there is no division between child life and adult life. In the work, the author makes use of 12 families from middle class and working/lower class to study the effect of parenting methods. Interestingly, the author disregards the racial identity of the children and their families selected for the study. Personal and sociological reflection: The Personal and sociological reflection section is divided into four sections: central argument, individual experiences and the families discussed in the work, my childhood and the childrearing method of concerted cultivation, and the central argument in the work and my childhood. Central argument As far as I am concerned, the central argument put forth by the author is significant. For instance, the role of socio-economic status of a family deeply influences the scope of success of a child in future. In the work, the author disregards the racial identity of the families and accepts socio-economic status as the yardstick to measure the scope of child development in future. The general belief is that one’s racial identity is an influential factor which determines one’s scope of success in future. But the author chooses a different way to prove that racial identity is less influential in one’s life in a modern society. The parents from middle class are aware of the fact that interaction with the elders can be helpful for their children in future. On the other side, the parents from working class/ lower class consider that cohesiveness among the family members can help their children to be successful in future. Individual experiences and the families discussed in the work As pointed out, the author selected 12 families to unearth the scope of childrearing methods. To be specific, the author selected 88 children from different layers of the mainstream society. Besides, the author selected two schools named as Lower Richmond and Swan. Within this context, the some of the children like Garrett Tallinger and Alexander Williams from the upper class families indulge in organized activities. On the other side, the children like Billy Yanelli, Harold McAllister and Stacey Marshall from working class families are allowed to plan their leisure time activities. My personal experiences are similar to that of the children like Garrett Tallinger and Alexander Williams. My parents allowed me to ask questions and we used to discuss almost all things in our daily life. This helped me to realize that asking a question to the elders is not a bad habit because it helps one to deal with others, other than our family members. My childhood and the childrearing method of concerted cultivation After going through Annette Lareau’s work, I came to realize the fact that my parents adopted concerted cultivation technique in my childhood. Besides, I belong to a middle class family and my parents were aware of the fact that interaction beyond my private circle is important for me as a child. My parents allowed me to communicate with elders without any restriction. This helped me to realize that children need not be kept away from the public domain or the mainstream society. On the other side, the activities in my childhood life were controlled by my parents. Now I know that this direct control is an important factor which transformed my life. The central argument in the work and my childhood As pointed out earlier, the central argument (say, the role of social economic class in childrearing) is interconnected with my childhood. The study conducted by the author, based on American families and the influence of social class in the lives of children is significant. The author provides a clear cut picture of the reason behind the drawback of parenting style adopted by the working class/lower class parents. Lareau (2003) states that, “Nevertheless, social class differences influence the very pace and rhythm of daily life” (p. 32).The socio-economic class of my family deeply influenced me a lot. Some of my friends were from working class/lower class families. Disregarding their racial identity, their parents’ socio-economic status determined their development. They were able to gain the sense of independence, but they never acquire the ability to question adults. They never get indulged in organized activities and their parents never allow them to discuss their problems. This is the fundamental difference between some of my friends from working class/lower class families and me. Summing, the childrearing methods deeply influence the development of children in future. Annette Lareau’s work disagrees with the general belief that racial identity determines one’s upward mobility. In fact, socio-economic class of the parents is an important factor which deeply influences the scope of future development of a child. The modern world is much more complex and innovative childrearing methods can help children to be competitive and successful in future. References Lareau, A. (2003). Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life. California, CA: University of California Press. Read More