We interviewed Fran Pfeifer to see what she thought about parenting.
1. What is the biggest reward of parenting?
I think the biggest reward of being a parent is getting to spend time with my children and getting to know them as they become adults. Being able to see my kids grow up has been great, I can't imagine my life without them.
2. What is the best advice you could share with a new parent?
The best advice for a new parent is don't be affraid to ask for help. Being a new parent is very overwhelming at times and you will be a much better parent if you have a break every now and then to get your head clear and ready to fully take care of your child.
3. What is most challenging about parenting?
Having to financially support my kids has been a rough battle since the beginning, I believe that if you are thinking about having kids you should truely be financially ready to support them because if not it is a long and hard battle.
4. If you could do it all over again, what would you change, if anything, about your parenting styles.
Well, through the years I have realized that I should have been more financially stable like I mentioned before, and I think i should have been a little more strict with my kids because they seem to think they run the place if i don't tell them otherwise
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The students were asked to interview a parent on the rewards of parenting. Most of the parents had generally the same answers to all the questions. When asked what advice they would give new parents, most said to just have patients, cherish the time you have with them, and love them with your everything. When asked what their biggest reward has been, most answered "seeing them succeed." Most parents' goals are to see their children grow up happy and healthy. Parents want the best for their children and do their best to provide for them.
Group three both interviewed a parent of their choice. Both actually interviewed their mothers. Each mother was asked four questions. The first question asked was what is the biggest reward of parenting. Keshia's mom replied by saying seeing her kids grow up and reachh their goals, while Cassie's mom said that having the pleasure of having someone to always make you you is the greatest part. The second question asked was what is most challenging about parentings. "The most challenging part about being a parent is keeping the kids in line and schedualing things around each other." said Cassie's mother. "When a child makes their own decissions to do something." is what Keshia's mom replied to when she was asked this question. What is the best advice you could share with a new parent is the third question. Keshia's mom told us that you need to have patience, while Cassie's mom said to treasure having your kids young because they grow up too fast. If you could do it all over again, what would you change, if yanything, about your parenting strategies is the last and final question. Cassie's mom said she would be a little more strict on what she lets her kids do, while Keshia's mom said she would do more things with my kids. Both parents had very different views on their parenting skills.
We interviewed two different parents. We asked Debbie has two daughters who are 17 and 12. The other parent is Julie and she has an 8 year old son. We asked them both what their biggest reward of parenting was. Debbie said that seeing her kids grow up and see what they accomplish in life. She said it's great to see them reach their full potential. Julie said she loves pretty well every second of being a parent. She loves seeing her son get excited about something and see him stick with it. Debbie said her most challenging thing about parenting is making everyone happy. She says it's hard to do that when one person wants to do something and the other one doesn't. Sometimes you just have to say no to somebody. Julie said her ex husband is her biggest challenge. He doesn't come to get their son very often and she doesn't know what to tell him when he asks where his dad is. Debbie and Julie had about the same advice for new parents. Their advice is to try your best, love your kids with all your heart, and support them in whatever they want to do. They say that it gets hard but you just have to make it through it. Never give up on your kids and yourself because no one is perfect. Both parents said that they wouldn't change anything about their parenting strategies. They both feel that they've done the best that they can and they wouldn't change anything.
One of the parents that our group interviewed was Angie Paris. She is a mother of two teenage girls, Kasey(17) and Jamie (15).Parenting was definately a challenge with alot of responsibilities but it came with alot of rewards that are still paying off. We began the interview asking what she thought the biggest reward of parenting was for her. Angie said that seeing her children do the things that she taught them and realizing the importance of their actions. When she sees her children being kind and courteous to other people and standing up for what they believe in makes her feel a sense of accomplishment because she knows she helped them become their own individuals. Even though it did come with these rewards their was challenges that came along with it. Angie says knowing that she will make mistakes as anyone would and hoping that my best decisions will be good enough made this expierence challenging. The decisions you make when raising your children can be scary if you don't know the outcome right away but that is just risks that parenting comes with. The best advice that Angie could give about raising children is that, "your children grow up very quickly and time flies!" She suggests to spend as much time as you can with your family because those memories will be priceless. " Your kids will remember you were at their games or activities, and you made time for them. Not that your house was spotless or you made alot of money." She is happy with the way she raised her two daughters but if she could do it all over again, she would have her children do more for themselves. She would give them more responsibilities at a younger age because she is guilty of spoiling them to much. All in all though, she is very pleased with the young adults her daughters have become and enjoys still teaching them important lessons in life.
We also interviewed another parent, Cari Yates. She's a mother of three children; Alexis (15), Wesley (12), and Jackson (10) She stated that one of the biggest rewards of parenting is being able to watch your children grow and achieve things that she couldn't achieve. "Watching my kids do sports and seeing them succeed is something that really makes a parent proud." She says. She also said that one of the most challenging things was waking up in the night when we were babies, and also the pre-teenager stage was the most difficult because she doesn't like it when her kids start to pull away. But she understands it's because thier becoming their own person, it's just hard for a mother. The biggest advice she would give to a new parent is to try not to stress so much and worry about money or if your going to make it. Just let things happen as they come and to spend as much time with your kids when thier young, because you can't go back in time. She also says to take alot of pictures and videos so they can look back on it when thier older. If she could do the whole process all over again she said that she would've waited longer until she had finished her school so that they could have started out with more money to give more to the kids. Other than that shes happy with the way that her life is and wouldn't want to change it for anything. The last parent we interviewed was Barb Underwood. She's a mother of 3 kids; Dannielle(16), Caleb(12), and Meghan(9) She said the biggest reward was getting to watch her children grow. "Watching my children grow up to be young adults was hard but rewarded at the same time", stated Barb, "watching them get to do the things I wasn't able to do was amazing." She also said the most challenging part about being a parent is trying to work around the childrens' schedule. "Having to work around the kids is really hard", said Barb, "working while taking care of 3 kids is extremely tough." The next question she was asked was what's the best advice you would give to a new parent? "Try not to let the kids and work stress you out so much you have to work extra hard to get something done", is what Barb suggested. If she could have done everything all over again she said she would have waited until she finished college to have a baby. "Being in college and trying to take care of a new baby is harder than you think", she said, "not only was I in college, but I also had a job, so trying to juggle a job, going to school, and taking care of a baby is very hard." Other than that, she says she's very happy with the choices she has made. |
PurposeThe purpose of this blog is to publish our findings on the topic of "The Rewards of Parenting." Students were asked to interview parents and then summarize their findings on a blog! ArchivesCategories |