Reading Diverse Books to Infants & Finding Quality Books for Infants

The other day, I walked into my 12-month old daughter’s doctor’s appointment and was thrilled to be handed a children’s book! My daughter also enthusiastically started pointing and saying “boo” “boo”! Before my pediatrician needed to do her spiel on why books are so important for babies, I told her about my daughter’s frequent visits to our “reading center.” My daughter loves going to a special place in our house to point out books that she wants read to her. Her favorite books right now are “peek-a-boo” and “nursery rhyme” books.

Since my son was born, we have had a “reading center” in every apartment, town home, or home we have lived in. My son was born in a one-bedroom apartment in New York—-yet, even there I was able to carve out a nook (or rather a cranny!) for reading. Currently, we live in the suburbs and are afforded more space for reading. Our reading center is in the corner of our living room and features a comfy, big Costco bear, a beanbag, pillows, blankets, and cases of age-appropriate books. I love being able to say “book” to my daughter and watch her crawl over to her space.

Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced the importance of reading to babies. As an educator, I have known about the importance of reading to babies for brain development, and more specifically, for oral language development and early literacy skills. However, I realize that not every parent has the knowledge, time or resources to read to their child. Many articles point to socio-economic class being the differentiating factor between whether or not children are read to from a young age.  Unfortunately, the research shows that children from high socio-economic families know 30 million more words than children from low socio-economic families by the age of three.

It is interesting to note that while the majority of this word gap can be attributed to socio-economic class, I also believe that culture influences whether or not a child is a read to at home. From my experiences, it wasn’t class but culture that dictated whether reading was prioritized in my family. Growing up, I don’t recall my parents reading children’s books with me and discusses the motivations of the main character in the book. Rather, we had “math time” where my father and I would sit down to work out math problems together. Researchers have found that many Asian American families prioritize math because there is always a right answer. First generation immigrant parents feel that their children will naturally learn English because they live in a English-speaking country and are exposed to it everyday.  As a result of prioritizing math and the sciences, the research has found that many Asian American children struggle with oral language skills. Many Asian Americans pursue careers in the math and the sciences, because they don’t have the confidence that they need to excel in other subject areas. I believe this discussion on reading to babies needs to address the “knowledge gap” when it comes to making sure all cultural groups are aware of the importance of reading (and talking) to infants and children.

Furthermore, while the AAP recommends reading books to children, hybrid parents want to know what types of books they should be reading to children that allow for them to meet the cognitive, social, emotional, linguistic and cultural needs of their children.  For hybrid parents, the discussion of reading to infants needs to address what their infants are being exposed to and what they are not being exposed to. It’s not just about the quantity of books that we read to our children but about the quality of books.

In my Child and Adolescent Development courses at San Jose State, we discuss how to meet the developmental needs of infants. Infants typically develop object permanence by six months of age. Object permanence is this idea that objects are permanent and even when a object cannot be seen, it is still there. When something is hidden, infants know it still exists and that excites them—-because just a month ago they thought that object was gone forever. You also want to make sure you have books that are related to sensory development. Infants love books that engage their five senses. Things they can see, touch, taste, smell, and hear such as Pat the Bunny.

Infants also use social referencing to make sense of the world. What this means is that they will look to you when they are trying to make sense of a new situation. If they are meeting Grandma for the first time, your reaction will help them figure out if this is someone they can trust. If they fall for the first time, your positive or negative reaction will cue them into how they should respond about falling.

Books can also help infants make sense of their diverse world. Books can expose infants to people of different races or ethnicities as well as cultural experiences that they may not encounter until later in life. Research shows that infants will look longer at an unfamiliar face (such as someone who is from a different race) than someone from the same race as them (Katz and Kofkin, 1997). With more diverse books (#colormyshelf), infants can start to become more familiar with the diverse world that we live in.

Top 10 Categories of Books for Infants Cognitive, Social, Emotional, Linguistic and Cultural Needs

1. Sound books (e.g., Moo, Zoom) – develops early literacy skills, children learn to play with sounds  and differentiate sounds before identifying them visually (i.e.phonemic awareness)
2. Alphabet books – develops early literacy skills, children learn to visually identify letters (i.e. phonics)
3. Bilingual books (e.g., body parts, colors) – develops bilingual skills; bilingualism gives children social, linguistic, and cognitive advantages in life
4. Nursery Rhyme books (e.g., wheels on the bus)- develops oral language skills, engages infants through hand gestures and finger plays
5. Peek-a-Boo Books– reinforces object permanence; infants love repetition and mastering the skill of playing peek-a-boo with books and people!
6. Touch & Feel Sensory Books– reinforces sensory development; infants make sense of the world through their senses
7. Routine books (e.g.,good night routines)– reinforces routines for babies; infants like predictable routines to make sense of their ever-changing world; it provides them with comfort and a sense of belonging
8. Pro-social Books (e.g., saying hello, please, sharing) – develops social skills; provides infants/toddlers with an understanding of how to greet friends and use their manners with simple words and gestures
9. Feelings/Emotions (e.g., happy, sad) – promotes emotional skills; provides infants/toddlers with visuals to identify and recognize feelings (also good for transitions to toddlerhood and managing  tantrums)
10. Multicultural Books – develops social skills and an awareness of others; helps infants/toddlers make sense of their diverse world by exposing them to various races, ethnicities, and cultures

References

Katz, P. A., & Kofkin, J. A. (1997). Race, gender, and young children. In S. S. Luthar & J. A. Burack (Eds.), Developmental psychopathology: Perspectives on adjustment, risk, and disorder (pp. 51–74). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Is the Authoritative Parenting Style Always the Best for Children?

 

Today, the authoritative parenting style is perceived as the golden standard for appropriate parent-chid interactions. For the most part, I am an authoritative parent; however, there are definitely times when the authoritarian style of parenting switches “on” in me. This could be because of my own family-of-origin experiences being raised by the typical, Asian Indian authoritarian father. It could also be because I prioritize different socialization goals for my children. I want them to be respectful of their parents and not question everything that they are asked to do. I want them to be raised within the culture of respect.

However, based on overwhelming consensus in Western society, parents should strive to be authoritative for the best future outcomes for their children. As a result, I am often left feeling like a bad parent who should not be saying things like “Because I said so…” or “Don’t question me right now…” or “Just do what I said…”

I decided to reveal some of the complexities and nuances when it comes to how culture influences parenting styles. When it comes to European American children, the authoritative parenting style is linked to better academic outcomes. However, for Asian American children this is not as relevant; since the research shows that the authoritarian style of parenting also leads academic success.

Yet, I  believe that they authoritative style of parenting is still beneficial for all children, regardless of culture. While, there may be times that we want to parent in an authoritarian way to promote particular socialization goals such as respect—I argue that Asian American children need authoritative parenting  for emotional and social development.

Background on Parenting Styles

The parenting styles emerged in the early 1960s by psychologist Diane Baumrind. Through her extensive research on parent-child relationships, she noted that parents often fell into authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive styles of parenting. Based on these different parenting styles, children also had different outcomes.

The authoritarian style is characteristic of parents who are high in control/ demandingness and low in warmth/responsiveness towards their child.  Authoritarian parents want obedient children who do not ask questions. The phrase that is often used is “Because I said so…” They have a set of fixed rules and standards that children need to abide by and they may use physical punishment with children who do not listen. Parents do not reason or negotiate with their children when creating or enforcing rules. As a result, the research shows that children are not encouraged to think for themselves or to think critically (Baumrind, 1966).

On the other hand, permissive parents are low in control/demandingness and high in warmth/responsiveness towards their children. Permissive parents want to be friends with their children. They do not have consequences for when their child misbehaves and for the most part, allow their children to regulate their own activities.  As a result, children do not have the opportunity to develop important skills that are needed for future success in life. Parents do not set expectations for their children, and thus, they are not giving the opportunity to practice skills such as, self control. These children are the least self-reliant, curious, and self-controlled (Baumrind, 1966).

Thus, the research points to authoritative parenting practices as the best way to parent because it leads to the best outcomes for children. It takes the best dimensions of the two parenting styles described above. The parenting style is described as high in warmth/responsiveness and high in control/demandingness. With this approach, parents provide reasonable limits for their child while also being responsive to their needs. Parents use reasoning when reinforcing rules; thus, children know the rationale behind the rules and expectations that are set for them and can exchange in a verbal give and take with their parents. Parents listen to their child’s objections and based on the situation may be flexible with what is expected of them. The research shows that children of parents who use this approach are more self-reliant, self-controlled, content, and curious about learning and exploring the environment (Baumrind, 1966). In addition, they have a happier disposition to life, well developed social skills, and better academic outcomes (Baumrind, 1966).

When Culture Intersects with Parenting Styles

However, much of the research on parent-child relationships has been conducted using Western populations.  As a result, recommendations made on “best parenting practices” may not apply to families from culturally diverse backgrounds. For European Americans the authoritative parenting style is associated with closeness and emotional ties between the parent and the child, which in turn promotes better academic outcomes.

Researchers have found that the authoritative parenting style may not be as relevant to Asian American populations. The research has found that the authoritative parenting style does not matter for Asian American families in terms of educational outcomes. Many Asian American families who employ an authoritarian style of parenting have children who do well in school and have achieved academic success. Thus, some say that the authoritarian approach is not as detrimental as many may believe.

The authoritarian approach is used by parents from different cultural backgrounds because they may prioritize different socialization goals for their children. Research suggests that some Asian American parents use an authoritarian parenting style because they prioritize respect over closeness with their child. Through an authoritarian approach, these parents promote the importance of parental control, the need to work hard, to be self-disciplined and to do well in school. Thus, research suggests that it is important to look into qualities such as respecting parents when thinking about school success for Asian American children.

Why Authoritative Parenting Is Needed for Asian American Children

When looking at parenting styles and school performance, authoritative parenting is not the only parenting style that is associated with school success.  However, as a parent, educator and researcher, I believe that it is important to take a look at the whole child. Researcher Desiree Qin notes that that many Asian American children deal with an adjustment/achievement paradox: Asian American children have high levels of academic achievement but low levels of psychological and social adjustment. Thus, it is important for parents to meet the emotional needs of their children.  It is important to note that the authoritarian parenting style has also been equated with children having poor social skills, anxiety, depression and poor self-esteem. Research studies have also found that Asian American children aremore likely to experience depression and thoughts of suicide due to problems that originate with their families.

While every parent may prioritize different goals for their children, it is important to remember that we need to put the academic, social, emotional, and cultural needs of our children first. The interactions that we have with our children are shaping the skills they acquire (e.g., reasoning, negotiating, critical thinking) and who they become (e.g., self-confident, responsible, curious, social, respectful individuals).