Annette Lareua Sociology

If you were to ask new parents today what they want for their children, the most common answer would probably be along the lines of “I want them to be happy and successful”. It is common knowledge that we as parents and caretakers have a big role in how well our children succeed in life. We are the primary agent of socialization that helps our children develop their attitude, values, and social behaviors. Annette Lareau, a sociologist who studies family lives, developed a longitudinal study that focused on children and their families for over a ten year period. She used the participant observational method to conduct her studies. This means that she and fellow sociologists were able to observe different families’ social behaviors everyday …show more content…
The first part of the article talks about a concept that Lareau calls “concerted cultivation”. This s a type of upbringing that allows parents to have a more structured environment for their children. These are the parents who have their whole children’s day organized, from after school sports to music lessons. This parenting style is used mostly by the middle class according to Lareua. These parents are preparing their children to become bosses and business leaders by teaching them how to manage schedules and how to speak to authority figures. Lareua also studied a group of working class and poor parents who seemed to focus more on “natural growth”. These parents are the ones who give their children room to make their own decisions and they allow them to schedule their own leisure time. These children are less likely to be in after school activities and more likely to come home from school and choose what they want to do. Laruea stated that neither way of raising your children is necessarily bad, they just each bring upon different …show more content…
When my parents separated I experienced a childhood that had me living two separate lifestyles in two separate homes. My father and his side of the family were more on the “natural growth” end of the spectrum. I knew that whenever I spent time with my dad I would have free reign to do what I wished. I was able to spend time outside as long as I wanted and play with the neighbor kids. There was no structured schedule or organization in my days I spent with him. The time spent with my mom was definitely different. My mom was the one who signed my up for every sport and activity possible. I remember being little and having a calendar on the fridge that she would keep everything organized on. I had time limits for the tv and internet and wasn’t allow to play with friends during the week because I was always busy. After reading Lareuas article I wonder if my parents backrounds have anything to do with the way they each decided to raise my siblings and I. My father is African American and my mom is Caucaison. I would consider both of them being working class people who grew up in working class homes. It is hard to directly apply Lareuas study to that of my own life because of my parents being separated. If they were together and raised us under one household, I sometimeswonder how their parenting styles would be