Goodnessof fit involves creating child-rearing environments that recognize each child’s temperament while simultaneously encouraging more adaptive functioning. Before making your initial post, you should read about the different types of temperament in Chapter 10 of your textbook, as well as the section on goodness of fit and parental behavior.

Then consider the following scenario::

Aiden is a difficult 2-year-old whose parents both work long hours for low pay and do not have reliable child-care arrangements. They sometimes use angry, punitive discipline, and Aiden typically reacts with defiance and disobedience. His parents respond inconsistently: Sometimes they reward his noncompliance by giving in to it, but at other times they continue their coercive tactics.

For your initial post, use your textbook to help you identify at least 5 things that Aiden’s parents could do differently to encourage a better goodness of fit. Why is what they are doing now not effective? What are the implications for Aiden if his temperament/behavior doesn’t change? What are the implications for his parents? What are the implications for the parent-child relationship?

Discussion Board 5: Parenting Styles

You’ve been learning about parenting styles in Chapter 12 of the text. How would you classify your parents’ child-rearing style(s) with you when you were growing up/living at home? If you had other siblings, did your parents use the same parenting style with him or her? Did your parents use the same style with you? Was your parents’ parenting style similar to that of your friends’ parents. Other family members’? What factors might have influenced your parents’ approach to parenting? Elaborate. What were the most common methods of reinforcement and punishment your parents used? Were these techniques beneficial? Why or why not? How do you think you will parent your child as a result of your past and what you are learning in this class? Have your attitudes about spanking changed? Why or why not? Use information from your textbook to frame your answer.