Parenting in the 1980s

Abstract

The notion that being a parent in the second half of the twentieth century is demanding and at times a difficult and lonely experience, has been the focus of increasing attention in the last decade. Whilst many parents have brought up their children over the centuries in conditions of considerable hardship, they have not always done so in the isolation of today’s nuclear family, nor against a backcloth of rapid technological, social and economic change such as we are experiencing in the 1980s. Young people are having to make choices about how to live their lives which did not face their parents, and there are many who feel that in this complex and ever-changing world the traditional ways of transmitting parenting skills from one generation to another may no longer be adequate. As a comprehensive review of research on parenting concluded ‘many ordinary families are in trouble … not so much because of the older problems of poverty, poor housing and sanitation, but because they have inherited conceptions of family life that are inadequate to cope with the requirements of modern living’ (Rapoport et al., 1977).

WANTED: Responsible person M/F to undertake twenty-year project. Candidates should be totally committed, willing to work up to twenty-four hours daily, including weekends (occasional holidays possible after five years service). Knowledge of health care, nutrition, psychology, child development, the education system essential. Necessary qualities: energy, tolerance, patience, a sense of humour. No training or experience needed. No salary but very rewarding job for the right person.

Good Housekeeping (1981)