“The best way to raise a child is to support them as much as you can until they arrive at some kind of career path. We will support you as much as we are able to through education and financial support until you become independent.”
Selin Mathai
Annette Lareau’s study of families in working class and middle class families allowed her to differentiate between two parenting styles in early childhood: concerted cultivation and natural growth. The primary differences between these styles is listed below.
Concerted Cultivation
- Middle-Class
- Parents make children join extracurriculars, providing more than basic needs
- Development of stronger social connections and comfort with authority figures
- Sense of entitlement
Natural Growth
- Working-Class
- Parents allow students to develop naturally, by fulfilling basic needs
- Weaker social connections and fear associated with confronting authority figures
- Sense of constrain
In terms of early childhood, my parents raised me through a combination of natural growth and concerted cultivation. While they didn’t have many resources to let me participate in many extracurricular opportunities, they put me in an Indian classical dance class early on in my childhood to give me a chance to learn more about my culture.
My parents mostly let me develop on my own by providing me with basic resources like food, water, and shelter but limiting their intervention in my academics. They allowed me to develop and solve problems on my own, making me much more independent. Their goal during childhood was to make sure I had no other stressors or responsibilities other than academic issues.
The Mathai Family 