Higher Birth Rate Essay, Research Paper

The two main reasons black women have a higher birth rate than white women is because, one, it is shown that during the early 19th century more opportunities and education became available to white women and therefore it gave them something else to focus on other than having children, and because of this their birth rates went down dramatically. As for black women they did not have all those profitable opportunities to help them do something other than stay home and raise children. They did not get these ?right? or opportunities until after the Civil War. The next reason that black women tend to have higher birth rates is because they tend to have more sexual permissive attitudes and a lower self esteem and then they become involved in relationships with unprotected sex and end up having children, and then they are not able to get a job because of financial reasons, so the end result is to stay at home and continue having children.

Hispanic women have higher birth rates because their nationality values larger families and the children become a financial asset to the family. Hispanic families use their children to perform work around the family whether it be farm-work, or have them work in the fields. As long as parents have children to help with the work then they profit because they do not have to pay additional help, and there are more than one family members getting paid for doing work. Also Hispanic women have more children in their family because they use them as translators and representatives. Once the children are educated then they become a larger asset to the family because their steady income is expected to be contributed to the support of their parents.

The Catholic religion tends to have the highest birth rates for the simple fact that they value larger families much more than any other religion.

The reasons that are given for primary causes for the overall decline in fertility rates is due to married women are waiting longer to have their first baby, and they are allowing more time between births, and they are choosing to have smaller families. It may be contributed to the fact that it is much more costly now for a family to make it and when you have a larger family, and your income is low then it takes a lot for that family to make it in the world. Whereas if you know that you are not going to be financially set then it is not uncommon to only have one or two children.

Martyr is the first parenting style that I will explain. The major characteristic of Martyring is the parent or parents are ALWAYS there to do for the child instead of letting the child do for themselves. I believe that the only value to this style of parenting is it is showing the child that they can always count on them no matter what the situation and no matter what the cost will be in the long run. Parents keep reinforcing this style every time that child cries and they get their way, every time a parent tells a child to pick up their room and they refuse and the parent goes in and does it. Children will pick up on this behavior and they will always depend on the parents and they will have a hard time adjusting if for some reason they do not get what they want.

PAL is the next parenting style, the characteristic in this style is that the parents try to be their child?s friend and parent and have a hard time going back and forth. In this style parents try to do all they can to be the childs friend, but when it is time to be parent again it is much harder for them to enforce the rules. Children need to have rules and limits and they need to benefit from the knowledge of their parents, but if the parents are too permissive, the the children do not learn to develop self control, and this can lead to juvenile delinquency, and behavior problems. When things do not go well then the parents must try to retreat back to being an authoritive figure but the child does not adapt well because they are now in a buddy relationship with their parents. Parents need to distinguish between being a friend and a parent, they need to know how to understand and communicate with their child on their level but don?t get so close that they start loosing ground as an authoritive role model.

Police Office is the third parenting style: With these types of parents they are totally opposite from the PAL, parents. These types of parents want to make sure that their child obeys ALL rules at all times, and they often get onto them if the do the smallest thing wrong. Once again with this parenting style if gone about in the wrong way it could be trouble in the long run. For those parents who ?hoover? over their children to not allow them to make some mistakes so that they can become their own person tend to push their children farther away. Children want to know they have limits but at the same time they have to know that they are human and they have to learn by their mistakes and by having a parent be there at every wrong turn to critisize it will make that child more anxious to disobey rules and go a different route just to see who will catch them or if they can get away with something.

Teacher-Counselor is the fourth parenting style: With this style it seems that children do benefit from environmental stimulation as well as parental sensitivity to their needs. However there are problems with this parenting style, It seems that with this style the needs of the parent are put off and the needs of the child are more important. Also , with this parenting style it sometimes gives the children the mistaken impression that he or she is the center of everyone?s universe. This style shows that parents are wanting and willing to help their child conquer some of the obstacles that come about, and also try to persuade them to choose appropriate choices, so that life will not be a total loss, but at the same time it is done in a manner that it hinders the way the children feel towards other people when things go wrong.

Athletic Coach is the last parenting style: With this style it is said that the coach (parent), is expected to have sufficient ability and knowledge of the game (life) and to be prepared and confident to lead players (children) to do their best and, it is hoped, to succeed. This parenting style recognizes that parents have their owen personalities and needs. They establish house rules and teach these rules to their children. They enforce the appropriate penalties when rules are broken, but policing is not their primary concern. Children must be willing to accept discipline and subordinate their own interests to the needs of the family team. Coaching parents encourage their children to practice and to work hard to develop their own talents, but they realize that they cannot play the game for their players (children).

I would advise that these parents use the Athletic Coach parenting style on their four year old because preschoolers need to experience consistency in what they are learning, they need wide exposure to language. I feel like this parenting style is authoritative, which means that the parents accept the childs personality, talents, and perhaps goals, while consciously setting and enforcing rules and limits, and this is everything that is going to make this preschooler the best preschooler she can be. With this style of parenting it allows the parent to set specific rules that the child can and will eventually understand. Preschoolers need to know that they are able to make their own choices and they will have to learn what the precutions are when they break a rule. With this parenting style it gives both the parent and the child a sense of accomplishment that they held their own part in making things work.

For two-career couples with children, family life is hectic and often tense as partners juggle schedules, chores, and child care. Being a employee outside the home and also a mother I know how hard it is to jugle family and career. Not only do I have to worry about satisfying my employer but I have to satisfy each member of my family and it just is not easy splitting up 8 hrs in the office and then coming home and trying to accommodate each one of my children with the little time that I have at the end of the work day with them. My evenings consist of homework, dinner, baths, play time and so many other things that did not get accomplished. The effects on the children are sometimes unimaginable, they have to adjust to the fact that we are both tired when we come home from work and that there are so many things that need to be done, children do not ask for this type of life but because of the high demand and all the financial responsibilities that are out there today it is not easily accessible to have a mother at home and only the father working. I think that the most important thing for parents to do to make sure they do not shortchange their children is to learn to let work stay at work and don?t take time for granted. Our life is very limited and our children are a gift and when we make the decision to have children then we need to make that decision to put all their needs first and make sure that we cherish them against all odds. When we choose to work then we need to be able to leave work at work and come home and enjoy the few hours that we have with our children, let them know that there is nothing more important then being with them. I think that parents take their children for granted sometimes and if only the knew that by doing that they are putting that child?s needs on the back burner just so they are able to have material things.