Can refer to procreation, but usually refers to the care provided for children by those acting as their parents. It does not necessarily refer to the biological parents of the child, but can range from grandparents to an older sibling as well as a legal guardian appointed by the state. As perhaps the defining component of child rearing, parenting is generally depicted as a process that serves to enhance the cognitive and social-emotional development of children up to and including adulthood while ensuring optimal physical growth. How this process has been put into practice, at least in Western countries, has been influenced by changes in theoretical perspectives varying from behaviorism to diametrically views derived from attachment theory. Parenting also varies as a consequence of cultural differences in beliefs and attitudes about the nature of children and how they should develop. One of the best-known portrayals of such cultural differences stems from the work of Caudill and Weinstein (1969) who concluded Japanese mothers of infants emphasize dependence in their offspring in contrast to their US counterparts who endeavor to cultivate independence.
See Attachment, Behaviorism, Differential parenting, Ecological systems theory, Interaction, Intuitive parenting, Maternal responsiveness, Nuclear family, Parental styles, Peer group, Polygynous households
Caudill, W., & Weinstein, H. (1969). Maternal care and infant behavior in Japan and America. Psychiatry, 32, 12-43.