Hmong American Young Adults’ Reflections on Their Immigrant Parents

Abstract

To better understand emerging adults’ perceptions of family interactions and value transmission to the next generation, we examined Hmong American emerging adults’ reflections on their parents’ parenting. Participants discussed what parenting practices they would do differently and others they hoped to emulate with their future adolescent children. Thirty Hmong American emerging adults (18-25 years; M = 21.2 years; 50% female) participated in interviews that focused retrospectively on the parent–adolescent relationship. Results revealed that emerging adults wanted to parent differently in three ways: less pressure about education, fewer restrictions, and more open communication. Emerging adults imagined being a similar parent in four ways: promoting education, promoting life values, giving guidance, and offering love and support. The findings highlight parenting practices that Hmong American emerging adults plan on transmitting (and not transmitting) to their own children, offering a glimpse into the type of parents the emerging adults may become.