The birth of a child is a magical and unforgettable moment, but it also changes daily life. When a baby is born, parenthood appears.

Parenting is the process by which parents develop a unique bond with their child. This concept, specific to each individual, does not reside in the goals to be achieved, nor in the means to achieve them but rather in its management and in the bond that you will create with the child. Parenting encompasses the material, psychological, moral, cultural and social aspects of the parental function, with the objective of ensuring the care, development and education of the child.

Every parent is unique, with their own experiences, childhood, adult life… and that’s how parenting is built. It evolves over time, depending on the child’s growth and the challenges the parents face. Parenting can be complex and rewarding, but it requires adaptive skills, patience, and most importantly, love.

The evolution of parenting

The lifestyle of parents today

Today's parents live in a different context than their elders, which makes their daily lives potentially more stressful. According to statistics, 53% of parents consider themselves more stressed than their parents did back then. The need to find a balance between personal and professional life is stronger than before.

The evolution of society has also led to significant changes in the distribution of parental tasks and equality, promoting complementarity between parents and changing the traditional family dynamics. Nowadays, seeing a father at home or a mother at the head of a business is no longer as surprising as it might have been a few years ago. Today, both fathers and mothers have active and essential roles in the education, development and care of the child. For example, longer paternal leaves allow fathers to build deeper bonds with their children from the first months and offer fathers the opportunity to fully engage in the early stages of their child's life.

The double effect of new technologies

New technologies have transformed parenting, creating both challenges and opportunities . The ubiquitous integration of technology into everyday life has redefined the nature of parent-child interactions.

On the one hand, new technologies can reduce interactions between parents and children, for example, when screens are used to calm or occupy the youngest. In addition, screen time management is becoming a major issue for today's parents.

On the other hand, technology facilitates communications, allowing parents to stay connected with their children, even at istance. With video calls, a parent can participate in important moments, such as a birthday, even if they are physically absent.

These new technologies therefore have a double effect because they risk erecting a wall between the parent and the child, but they also make it possible to maintain an emotional parent-child bond during travel, separations, etc.

Social pressures on parenting

Parenting is also marked by social pressures that weigh on those who raise children. Today's society develops norms and ideals around parenting, creating many expectations regarding behavior, the way of educating children or even the success of parents. These pressures come from different sources: media, family, other parents...

Today there is even a new kind of parenting that has been established: positive parenting . The goal of positive parenting is to encourage parents to put themselves in the child's shoes in order to understand them better. This approach is based on several principles:

• Compassionate communication: open, respectful and non-violent.
• Understanding emotions: helping the child express their emotions and supporting them.
• Valuing desired behaviors: positively reinforcing good behaviors
• Establishing clear boundaries: consistent, well-defined rules.

Parenting has undergone some changes due to lifestyle changes, increased social pressure and the development of new technologies. In order for parents to provide the best possible development for their child, a system has been put in place: parenting support.

Parenting support

Every parent may need support at some point. The goal of parenting support is to prevent vulnerable situations, such as the birth of a baby, starting school, or the separation of parents.

Parenting support supports parents in their role as educators through:

• Parent listening, support and guidance networks (REAAP): supporting parents through dialogue and the exchange of skills.

For more information, contact Alain MONCEL (parenting support and expertise officer) at the following email address: [email protected].

• Local school support contract: helping parents with their child's schooling and helping children. To benefit from this service, contact the school or the local CLAS representative.
• Meeting spaces : allows a parent to see their child from whom they have been separated due to a complex visitation rights arrangement. Find a meeting space .
• Family mediation : restoring dialogue between family members. Find out more about family mediation .
• Family Info Points : allow families to be directed to the right structure to meet their needs. Find a Family Info Point.

In addition, the project The First 1000 Days of a Child offers enhanced support for parents because the first 1000 days of a baby are crucial for their health. The baby will be confronted with positive or negative experiences, which can influence their health for life. The objective of this project is to create conditions that are favorable to the healthy development of the baby, but also to their well-being and that of their parents.

This project is deployed on 5 axes:

• Improving parental support
• Enhanced support according to parents’ needs
• By providing parents with simple, accessible and reliable information
• By encouraging parents to take time to build the relationship with their child
• By improving the quality of childcare methods

All information on the first 1000 days is available on the site the first 1000 days

Every family, every parent has the right to parenting support. A parent should not be ashamed to ask for help. Why not benefit from help that could be valuable to you?

In summary, parenting, defined by the weaving of deep bonds between parents and children, is constantly evolving with social and technological changes. New challenges, arising from lifestyles and the impact of technologies, are redefining family dynamics. These societal developments and changes are converting current parenting into positive parenting that focuses on empathetic understanding and emotional support of the child.

Parenting support is a valuable tool that helps parents overcome challenges and create a healthy and fulfilling family environment. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but a courageous step for the well-being of the entire family.