Definition
Parenting refers to the activities that parents engage in to raise their children and the skills involved to facilitate child development (Lee et al. 2014). When children are young, parenting behaviors often focus on “nurturing, stimulating and socializing children…(and) monitoring their activities” (Furedi 2002, p. 5). As children enter adulthood, parenting in parents’ mid- and later life usually involves granting children autonomy and helping them to achieve independence in emerging adulthood as well as providing instrumental and emotional support to adult children when needed.
Grandparenting concerns the support and care that grandparents, typically grandmothers, provide to their grandchildren (Timonen and Arber 2012). Scholars tend to view grandparenting broadly also to include...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Angelini V, Laferrère A (2013) Parental altruism and nest leaving in Europe: evidence from a retrospective survey. Rev Econ Househ 11(3):393–420. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-012-9170-9
Arpino B, Pronzato CD, Tavares LP (2014) The effect of grandparental support on mothers’ labour market participation: an instrumental variable approach. Eur J Popul 30(4):369–390. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10680-014-9319-8
Bao L, Chen F (2019) From the classic to the third demographic transition: grandparenthood across three cohorts in the United States. In: Hayslip B Jr, Fruhauf CA (eds) Grandparenting: influences on the dynamics of family relationships. Springer Publishing Company, New York, pp 37–60. https://doi.org/10.1891/9780826149855.0003
Barber BK (1996) Parental psychological control: revisiting a neglected contruct. Child Dev 67(6):3296–3319. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1996.tb01915.x
Barber BK, Harmon EL (2002) Violating the self: parental psychological control of children and adolescents. In: Barber BK (ed) Intrusive parenting: how psychological control affects children and adolescents. APA, Washington, DC, pp 15–52
Bates JS, Taylor AC, Stanfield MH (2018) Variations in grandfathering: characteristics of involved, passive, and disengaged grandfathers. Contemp Soc Sci 13(2):187–202. https://doi.org/10.1080/21582041.2018.1433868
Bertera EM, Crewe SE (2013) Parenthood in the twenty-first century: African American grandparents as surrogate parents. J Hum Behav Soc Environ 23(2):178–192. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2013.747348
Bridges LJ, Roe AEC, Dunn J, O’Connor TG (2007) Children’s perspectives on their relationships with grandparents following parental separation: a longitudinal study. Soc Dev 16(3):539–554. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2007.00395.x
Brown SL, Lin IF (2012) The gray divorce revolution: rising divorce among middle-aged and older adults, 1990–2010. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 67(6):731–741. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbs089
Bucx F, Van Wel F, Knijn T, Hagendoorn L (2008) Intergenerational contact and the life course status of young adult children. J Marriage Fam 70(1):144–156. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2007.00467.x
Burton LM, Dilworth-Anderson P (1991) The intergenerational family roles of aged black Americans. Marriage Fam Rev 16(3–4):311–330. https://doi.org/10.1300/J002v16n03_06
Chapman A, Coleman M, Ganong L (2016) “Like my grandparent, but not”: a qualitative investigation of skip-generation stepgrandchild-stepgrandparent relationships. J Marriage Fam 78(3):634–643. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12303
Chen F, Mair CA, Bao L, Yang YC (2015) Race/ethnic differentials in the health consequences of caring for grandchildren for grandparents. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 70(5):793–803. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbu160
Clark CM, Dahlen ER, Nicholson BC (2015) The role of parenting in relational aggression and prosocial behavior among emerging adults. J Aggress Maltreat Trauma 24(2):185–202. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2015.1002653
Clawson JRN, Ganong L (2002) Adult stepchildren’s obligations to older stepparents. J Fam Nurs 8(1):50–72. https://doi.org/10.1177/107484070200800104
Compton J, Pollak RA (2014) Family proximity, childcare, and women’s labor force attachment. J Urban Econ 79:72–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2013.03.007
Connidis IA (2010) Family ties and aging, 2nd edn. Pine Forge Press, Thousand Oaks
Crimmins EM, Zhang Y, Saito Y (2016) Trends over 4 decades in disability-free life expectancy in the United States. Am J Public Health 106(7):1287–1293. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303120
Fernandes-Alcantara AL (2018) Youth and the labor force: background and trends. Congressional Research Service, Washington, DC. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED593598.pdf
Fry R (2016) For first time in modern era, living with parents edges out other living arrangements for 18- to 34-year-olds. Pew Research Center, Washington, DC. Retrieved from https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2016/05/24/for-first-time-in-modern-era-living-with-parents-edges-out-other-living-arrangements-for-18-to-34-year-olds/
Furedi F (2002) Paranoid parenting: why ignoring the experts may be best for your child. Chicago Review Press, Chicago
Furstenberg FF Jr (2010) On a new schedule: transitions to adulthood and family change. Futur Child 20:67–87. https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.0.0038
Ganong L, Coleman M (2006) Obligations to stepparents acquired in later life: relationship quality and acuity of needs. J Gerontol Psychol Sci Soc Sci 61(2):S80–S88. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/61.2.S80
Ganong LH, Coleman M (2012) Relationships in older stepfamilies. In: Blieszner R, Bedford VH (eds) Handbook of families and aging, 2nd edn. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA, pp 213–242
Goldscheider F, Goldscheider C (1999) The changing transition to adulthood: leaving and returning home. Sage, Thousand Oaks
Goldscheider FK, Hofferth SL, Curtin SC (2014) Parenthood and leaving home in young adulthood. Popul Res Policy Rev 33(6):771–796. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-014-9334-9
Hayslip B Jr (2009) Ethnic and cross-cultural perspectives on custodial grandparenting. In: Sokolovsky J (ed) The cultural context of aging: worldwide perspectives, 3rd edn. Praeger Publishers, Westport, pp 346–356
Hayslip B Jr, Fruhauf CA (2017) Grandparenting in the United States: cultural and subcultural diversity. In: Shwalb DW, Hossain Z (eds) Grandparents in cultural context. Routledge, New York
Hayslip B Jr, Kaminski PL (2005) Grandparents raising their grandchildren: a review of the literature and suggestions for practice. Gerontologist 45(2):262–269. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/45.2.262
Hayslip B Jr, Page KS (2012) Grandparenthood: grandchild and great-grandchild relationships. In: Blieszner R, Bedford VH (eds) Handbook of families and aging, 2nd edn. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, pp 183–212
Inguglia C, Ingoglia S, Liga F, Coco AL, Cricchio MGL, Musso P, Cheah CSL, Gutow MR, Lim HJ (2016) Parenting dimensions and internalizing difficulties in Italian and U.S. emerging adults: the intervening role of autonomy and relatedness. J Child Fam Stud 25(2):419–431. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0228-1
Jappens M, Van Bavel J (2016) Parental divorce, residence arrangements, and contact between grandchildren and grandparents. J Marriage Fam 78(2):451–467. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12275
Kalmijn M (2007) Gender differences in the effects of divorce, widowhood, and remarriage on intergenerational support: does marriage protect fathers? Soc Forces 85(3):1079–1104. https://doi.org/10.1353/sof.2007.0043
King V (2003) The legacy of a grandparent’s divorce: consequences for ties between grandparents and grandchildren. J Marriage Fam 65(1):170–183. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2003.00170.x
Kreider RM, Ellis R (2011) Number, timing, and duration of marriages and divorces: 2009. In: Current population reports. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, pp 70–125. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/p70-125.pdf
Lee E, Bristow J, Faircloth C, Macvarish J (2014) Parenting culture studies. Palgrave Macmillan, London, UK
Lesthaeghe R (2010) The unfolding story of the second demographic transition. Popul Dev Rev 36(2):211–251. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2010.00328.x
Lesthaeghe R (2014) The second demographic transition: a concise overview of its development. Proc Natl Acad Sci 111(51):18112–18115. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1420441111
Lussier G, Deater-Deckard K, Dunn J, Davies L (2002) Support across two generations: children’s closeness to grandparents following parental divorce and remarriage. J Fam Psychol 16(3):363–376. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.16.3.363
Luyckx K, Soenens B, Vansteenkiste M, Goossens L, Berzonsky MD (2007) Parental psychological control and dimensions of identity formation in emerging adulthood. J Fam Psychol 21(3):546–550. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.21.3.546
Manning WD, Brown SL (2011) The demography of unions among older Americans, 1980–present: a family change approach. In: Settersten RA Jr, Angel JL (eds) Handbook of sociology of aging. Springer, New York, pp 193–210
Manzeske DP, Stright AD (2009) Parenting styles and emotion regulation: the role of behavioral and psychological control during young adulthood. J Adult Dev 16(4):223–229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-009-9068-9
Margolis R, Wright L (2017) Healthy grandparenthood: how long is it, and how has it changed? Demography 54(6):2073–2099. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-017-0620-0
McKinney C, Renk K (2008) Differential parenting between mothers and fathers: implications for late adolescents. J Fam Issues 29(6):806–827. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X07311222
McKinney C, Morse M, Pastuszak J (2016) Effective and ineffective parenting: associations with psychological adjustment in emerging adults. J Fam Issues 37(9):1203–1225. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X14537480
Mendoza AN, Fruhauf CA, Bundy-Fazioli K, Weil J (2018) Understanding Latino grandparents raising grandchildren through a bioecological lens. Int J Aging Hum Dev 86(3):281–305. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091415017702907
Merten MJ, Williams AL, Harvey AN, Haughey L (2018) Adults who co-reside and the young adulthood factors that lead them there. Adv Life Course Res 36:37–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcr.2018.03.002
Mueller MM, Wilhelm B, Elder GH Jr (2002) Variations in grandparenting. Res Aging 24(3):360–388. https://doi.org/10.1177/0164027502243004
Mulder CH, Clark WAV (2002) Leaving home for college and gaining independence. Environ Plan A 34(6):981–999. https://doi.org/10.1068/a34149
Mulder CH, Clark WAV, Wagner M (2002) A comparative analysis of leaving home in the United States, the Netherlands and West Germany. Demogr Res 7(17):565–592. https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2002.7.17
Nelson LJ, Padilla-Walker LM, Christensen KJ, Evans CA, Carroll JS (2011) Parenting in emerging adulthood: an examination of parenting clusters and correlates. J Youth Adolesc 40(6):730–743. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9584-8
Oeppen J, Vaupel JW (2002) Broken limits to life expectancy. Science 296(5570):1029–1031. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1069675
Patock-Peckham JA, Morgan-Lopez AA (2009) Mediational links among parenting styles, perceptions of parental confidence, self-esteem, and depression on alcohol-related problems in emerging adulthood. J Stud Alcohol Drugs 70(2):215–226. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2009.70.215
Reed K, Duncan JM, Lucier-Greer M, Fixelle C, Ferraro AJ (2016) Helicopter parenting and emerging adult self-efficacy: implications for mental and physical health. J Child Fam Stud 25(10):3136–3149. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0466-x
Saluter AF (1996) Marital status and living arrangements: March 1994. U.S. Bureau of the Census. In: Current population reports. Series P20–484. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, pp A–7. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1996/demo/p20-484.html
Seiffge-Krenke I (2006) Leaving home or still in the nest? Parent-child relationships and psychological health as predictors of different leaving home patterns. Dev Psychol 42(5):864–876. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.42.5.864
Shwalb DW, Hossain Z (eds) (2017) Grandparents in cultural context. Routledge, New York
Silverstein M (2019) Growing old and growing up: grandparents and their adult grandchildren in the context of multigenerational families. In: Hayslip B Jr, Fruhauf CA (eds) Grandparenting: influences on the dynamics of family relationships. Springer, New York, pp 81–94. https://doi.org/10.1891/9780826149855.0005
Silverstein M, Marenco A (2001) How Americans enact the grandparent role across the family life course. J Fam Issues 22(4):493–522. https://doi.org/10.1177/019251301022004006
Silverstein M, Lendon J, Giarrusso R (2012) Ethnic and cultural diversity in aging families: implications for resources allocation and well-being across generations. In: Blieszner R, Bedford VH (eds) Handbook of families and aging, 2nd edn. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA, pp 287–307
Soenens B, Vansteenkiste M (2010) A theoretical upgrade of the concept of parental psychological control: proposing new insights on the basis of self-determination theory. Dev Rev 30(1):74–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2009.11.001
Soenens B, Vansteenkiste M, Lens W, Luyckx K, Goossens L, Beyers W, Ryan RM (2007) Conceptualizing parental autonomy support: adolescent perceptions of promotion of independence versus promotion of volitional functioning. Dev Psychol 43(3):633–646. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.43.3.633
South SJ, Lei L (2015) Failures-to-launch and boomerang kids: contemporary determinants of leaving and returning to the parental home. Soc Forces 94(2):863–890. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/sov064
Stelle C, Fruhauf CA, Orel N, Landry-Meyer L (2010) Grandparenting in the 21st century: issues of diversity in grandparent-grandchild relationships. J Gerontol Soc Work 53(8):682–701. https://doi.org/10.1080/01634372.2010.516804
Stevenson B, Wolfers J (2007) Marriage and divorce: changes and their driving forces. J Econ Perspect 21(2):27–52. https://doi.org/10.3386/w12944
Suitor JJ, Sechrist J, Pillemer K (2006) Within-family differences in mothers’ support to adult children. J Gerontol B 61(1):S10–S17. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/61.1.S10
Timonen V (ed) (2019) Grandparenting practices around the world. Policy Press, Bristol
Timonen V, Arber S (2012) A new look at grandparenting. In: Arber S, Timonen V (eds) Contemporary grandparenting: changing family relationships in global contexts. Policy Press, Bristol, pp 1–24
U.S. Census Bureau (2017) Table B10050: Grandparents living with own grandchildren under 18 years by responsibility for own grandchildren by length of time responsible for own grandchildren for the population 30 years and over. In: 2017 American community survey 1-year estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC. Retrieved from https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_1YR_B10050&prodType=table
Uhlenberg P (2004) Historical forces shaping grandparent-grandchild relationships: demography and beyond. In: Silverstein M (ed) Annual review of gerontology and geriatrics 24, 2004: intergenerational relations across time and space. Springer, New York, pp 77–97
Uhlenberg P, Hammill BG (1998) Frequency of grandparent contact with grandchild sets: six factors that make a difference. The Gerontologist 38(3):276–285. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/38.3.276
Waldrop DP, Weber JA (2001) From grandparent to caregiver: the stress and satisfaction of raising grandchildren. Fam Soc J Contemp Soc Serv 82(5):461–472. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.177
World Bank (2019) Life expectancy at birth, total, male, female (years). Retrieved from https://data.worldbank.org/country/united-states?view=chart
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Bao, L., Huang, Y. (2020). Parenting and Grandparenting. In: Gu, D., Dupre, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_892-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_892-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69892-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69892-2
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences