There's been lots of discussion lately about Asian versus American childrearing styles. But not much has been said about the differences within Western cultures — until now. A husband and wife team at the University of Connecticut have come up with a "Parental Ethnotheories" study on the similarities and departures among American and European cultures and the distinctions may surprise you.
As reported in The Atlantic, researchers Sara Harkness and Charles M. Super put together a list of the attributes that families from six different countries used to describe their children. Tallies were made according to the responses of 60 families from each of the countries including Australia, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. In each country the researchers questioned parents of a dozen children from each of five different age groups, starting with those who had kids six months old and ending with age eight.
American parents were more apt to speak of their children's intelligence and cognitive skills while Spanish, Swedish, and Australian parents used the terms "happy" and "easy" in relation to their kids. In Italy, attributes like "well balanced," "easy" and "even tempered" are usual, while in the Netherlands children either "seek attention" or have "long attention."
The four terms that parents from all six countries used in common were "sociable," "loving," "active," and "strong-willed."
What does all this mean? The authors said: "The issue of cultural variability among Western societies is particularly relevant when we consider ideas and practices of parenting, since families bear the fundamental responsibility of producing the next generation of citizens who will need to work together across cultural boundaries in an increasingly complex world."
From the results of this study, I'd say that the Italians, by focusing on a child's balance and temper over intelligence, happiness, and ease may hold the future keys to world peace and success. Viva Italia!
Photo credit: Flickr
What quality are you most hopeful your child will engender?