Reference no: EM132556242

Assignment Overview

In module 3, you completed A Personal Exercise: You as Parent. This assignment is an extension of that exercise, in which you assessed your personal decisions around parenting.

In this assignment: you interview parents about their parenting experiences using questions designed for the purpose (you must have each parent sign the consent form below acknowledging they understand their responses will be used to complete your assignment).

you will apply your knowledge of the family life cycle and the social systems that may impact families in actual family situations

You will complete a brief essay about your own parenting future, based on the exercise you completed earlier in the module.

Instructions

Part A
Begin by identifying three individuals who are parents to act as interview participants for this assignment.
The individuals you select must meet the following conditions:
They must already be parents
They must be from different families and not be related through familial ties to one another (preferably they will not know one another at all).
They can be your friend, neighbour, classmate, etc.
Only one of these people can be related to you
Their participation must be voluntary
Preferably they will be at different phases of the family life cycle
The following questions must be posed to each of your subjects, if possible in a personal interview.
Describe the situation you were in when you became a parent?
What factors were involved in deciding to have a child/children?
What have been the positive elements of being a parent?
What have been the challenging elements of being a parent?
Before becoming a parent, what impact did you think having a child/children would have on your life?
What were the unexpected or surprising impacts (either positive or negative) of being a parent?
What are the key tasks or responsibilities of parenting that you are experiencing right now as a parent?
In a written report, reflect the similarities and differences between the three people interviewed. This report must:
Address all of the interview questions
Be approximately two pages in length (500 words)
Be grammatically and technically correct
Allow your interview subjects to remain anonymous (give them pseudo-names)

Part B
Refer to the Exercise on Personal Parenting you completed earlier in the module
You were given three options from which to choose. They are listed below.

Option One
If you are a parent, answer the following questions for yourself, taking detailed notes for future reference.
What phase in your life were you at when you became a parent?
What factors were involved in deciding to have a child/children?
What have been the positive elements to being a parent?
What have been the challenges to being a parent?
Before becoming a parent, how did you think a child/children would impact your life?
How did a child/children unexpectedly impact (either positive or negative) your life?
What aspect of parenting impacts you now?

Option Two
If you are not a parent but plan to be one at some time in your life, answer the following questions for yourself, taking detailed notes for future reference.
At what family life cycle phase in your life do you plan to be at when you will become a parent?
What factors will be involved in deciding to have a child/children?
How do you think a child/children will impact your life?
What do you look forward to about having children? What do you worry about?

Option Three

If you are not a parent and do not intend on being one, please answer the following questions for yourself, taking detailed notes for future reference.

At what family life cycle phase in your life did you decide not to become a parent?

What factors were involved in this decision?

How do you think not having children will impact your life?

What response or feedback have you received (or anticipate receiving) from others (e.g., partner, friends, family, acquaintances) when you share this decision?

Provide a summary of your personal parenting exercise responses. Reflect on what you have learned about the family life cycle through the process of completing and analyzing the parenting interviews. Did you have any a-ha moments, or were you surprised by anything in the process? How might what you have learned benefit you when working with families in the future (or currently).
Approximately one page