Challenge Yourselves: Enough with the Labeling
In today’s world, labels exist for everything. Whether discussing people with Type-A personality types, politicians, generations, different types of foods, or the variety of clothing in a shop, there’s most likely a label for it. Recently however, placing labels on parents solely based on the way that they raise their children is becoming more and more common. Today, several different labels are placed on parents. Popular in today’s media, terms such as “free ranging,” “tiger mom,” “helicopter parent,” and “snowplow parent,” often spark a great debate amongst parents regarding which is truly the “best” way to parent a child. Is there really only one “best” way though?
Years ago, parents raised their children in whatever way they wanted and weren’t afraid of the label that may be placed on them by society or the possible stereotypes that would arise because of this labeling. Parents of the past mastered finding a perfect combination of guidance, support, discipline, and encouragement. Children were not shielded from making mistakes by their parents, but rather they were encouraged to explore the world around them, and they were able to find the right balance between work and leisure. In a recent study, 70% of parents feel that parenting today is extremely different than parenting was 20 years ago. Today’s parents are often turned into looked down upon and criticized they fall under a certain label because of the negative stereotypes associated with different parenting styles.
So why does this “normal” way of parenting from the past need to be labeled today? Labels exist for everything in today’s world. Foods are labeled based on their ingredients or production methods, clothing is labeled based on the quality of the materials used, and every item on the market is labeled with a name. Labels are used to help categorize objects based on similarities, so labeling a parent helps to place them in a group with other parents like them. Human beings love comparing themselves to others because it either makes them feel good about themselves, or gives them an idea of where they would like to be in life. Being recognized by others for your accomplishments or attributes is becoming important more and more in today’s world as both jobs and universities are becoming more selective. Parents feel the need to fit in a certain parental label as it helps to signify their beliefs and accomplishments, as well as their personal hopes for their children.
While the labeling of both products and people seem to be increasingly important in today’s society, it forces parents to be conforming. Especially in regards to labeling people based on their characteristics, morals, or ideas, not everyone cleanly fits into one specific label. In the case of parenting, according to the labels placed by popular culture, parents can either be on one extreme of the spectrum or the other, but any sort of middle ground does not exist. There is no label that exists that describes a parent that is a mixture of different parenting types. According to popular culture’s labels, parents must choose one,and only one. Is that really healthy for our future? What type of message does such a decision send to our children?
I challenge parents to consider the types of different parenting and possibly the effects of each, but to not place such a large focus on the stereotyped label itself. Despite their label, all parents love their children and want the best for them in both the immediate and distant future. Parents must remember that they can only do so much to control their grown children, so it is best to help prepare a child as they grow so they are best equipped to handle situations on their own. Every child is different and can manage different situations differently Parents should not place such a large focus on their label or on critiquing another parenting style or defending their own, but rather focus on the development of successful, happy, loved children that will be the future of our society, and parents themselves one day.
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