The Parenting Journey: Daily Parental Management in Families with Young Children

ABSTRACT

Transitioning to parenthood and establishing a family are significant life events, and although an expected and normal part of adult life, it is a time of stress, change, and learning. The family has been well-studied with regard to developmental norms and the diagnosis and treatment of physical, cognitive, and emotional problems. However, little is known about how parents of young children establish, manage, and maintain their families on a daily basis. Social constructivist grounded theory was used to examine day to day parental management in families with young children. A theory, adjusting and redefining priorities, was developed to explain how parents make decisions related to the health and well-being of family members. A group of 24 New Zealand parents was interviewed about their daily management in families where the eldest child was aged no older than 3 years. Findings of this study revealed that parents used 4 overarching and constantly interacting viewpoints to consider situations: the personal, the parent, the parent unit, and the family unit. Their learning went through cycles of intensity and relaxation as parents considered their short term and long term priorities. Sometimes major changes to family structures and processes were required to maintain family stability, and sometimes the adjustments needed were relatively minor. These dimensions contributed to parents’ continuous efforts to meet the needs of all family members and to create a unique family environment that encompassed the guiding principles upon which parents made their decisions. This study highlights the need for health professionals to recognize the unique, complex and dynamic decision-making process parents are already engaged in when managing their families.

KEYWORDS:

• Child
• family
• grounded theory
• health
• parent
• well-being

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the 24 parents who so willingly and graciously agreed to talk to us about their experiences.

Funding

The authors acknowledge financial support from the Auckland University of Technology Vice Chancellors Scholarship and the Starship Foundation.

Additional information

Funding

The authors acknowledge financial support from the Auckland University of Technology Vice Chancellors Scholarship and the Starship Foundation.