Global Parenting

Have you ever traveled to other parts of the world and observed how parents interact with their children? Maybe you were exploring a city and noticed children taking the busses on their own or crossing the streets without adults. Or perhaps you noticed a parent not doing anything when their child was fighting with another child. Think your parenting style is the best? It just might be, but some American parents may want to take a few tips from their international counterparts. An ABC News radio program discussed the subject in more detail.

In other parts of the world, American parenting styles stand out. When Gross-Loh and her husband were raising their four children in Japan, she noticed something unusual when they were playing in the park.

Japanese parents allowed their children to get into scrapes, she said, and felt that disagreements were character-building.

“Even though we in America prize independence and autonomy and freedom so much, children in Japan were being raised with a lot more of these qualities,” said Gross-Loh.

Without a doubt, good parenting means being involved in children’s lives. But Gross-Loh’s research led her to conclude that being over-involved is detrimental and undermining.