Parenting and Family

The parental beliefs that affect children’s development are not limited to beliefs about children; they also include what parents believe about themselves as parents and what they believe about the family as a unit. The first half of this chapter addresses beliefs about parenting of several sorts: knowledge of parenting processes, feelings of self-efficacy as a parent, and attributions for parenting outcomes. Also discussed are effects of the transition to parenthood on how parents think. The second half of the chapter is directed to beliefs about the family. It begins with two topics that are often the source of parent–child conflicts: household responsibilities and decision-making and autonomy. The chapter concludes with beliefs about the value of children, including the beliefs of older parents whose children have grown.