Parenting Styles and Genetics

Parenting Efforts and Genetics Some believe that parenting efforts have nothing to do with predation, since genetic propensities of the child may interfere with or not respond to parenting efforts. However, that does not mean that parenting does not matter, or that it cannot be combined with genetics to affect the child and his or her nature. Studies have shown that the quality of parenting, especially in early childhood, can interact with dopamine in the brain, in order to influence temperament (Sheese, et al., 2007).

In that way, genetics can be superseded, at least to some degree, by the way a parent treats his or her child. In turn, that can affect how the parent relates to the child, which can shape the way the child grows up (Sheese, et al., 2007). That is not to say that genetics are not important, because they definitely can and do shape a lot of the way a person acts throughout life, and that starts in very early childhood (Maccoby, 2001).

People are different from one another, and as such they do not respond to parenting styles in the same way, no matter what age they are. It is vital that genetics be considered when parenting any child. In addition to carefully considering genetics, though, the way a person is parented is going to have a significant impact on how he or she looks at the world, both as a child and as he or she grows up (Sheese, et al., 2007).

Those who acknowledge this, and who work to parent their children in a way that relates to the genetics of their child, are going to have more success as parents than others who do not take this kind of issue into account (Maccoby, 2001). Genetics are not the whole story, and parenting is not the whole story. The two must be combined in such a way that they are successful for the particular child in the particular situation (Maccoby, 2001).

That may mean some trial and error, especially at first, because children are still figuring out who they are and who their parents are when they are very young. As they grow, they become more aware of themselves and others, but they also learn to manipulate other people, including their parents. If a parent is focused only on the "right" parenting style, especially from a societal point-of-view, that parent may be missing out on something very important that would work to help his or her child in that particular case.

The parenting style that is used with any child must be one that is right for the child, not one that is right for society (Maccoby, 2001). There are a number of great parenting books that can be read and enjoyed in order to gain insight into how a parent can and should handle specific issues, but those books do not address every child in every case.

Most often, they focus on the "ideal" situation, or the "typical" child, but there are many situations and children that fall outside of those perimeters (Sheese, et al., 2007). Once a parent understands more about genetics, and is able to clearly see a child as an individual, he or she will be more likely to parent effectively. If the parent has other children at a later date, it will be vital to understand that they may need to be parented differently, in order to ensure success.

Their genetics will be similar, but that will not make them identical to the other children born of those parents. That makes them individuals, and means that there will be a combination of genetics and parenting that have to be considered when caring.