Parental beliefs and children's everyday planning in European-American and Latino families

Abstract

This study examined parents' beliefs about the ages at which children should be able to plan and participate in various activities and responsibilities, with particular attention to cultural differences in these parental beliefs. Parents of 163 children between the ages of 5 and 12 participated, with 85 of the families European-American and 78 Latino. The parents completed a 10-page survey that tapped their beliefs about the age at which the “average” child and their own child will be / were able to plan and participate in various activities, as well as their child's actual planning of and participation in various activities. European-American and Latino parents differed in their beliefs about when both the “average” child and their own child were able to do this, with Latino parents providing higher ages. However, Latino parents with higher acculturation levels tended to believe that children could engage in planning-related activities at younger ages than Latino parents of lower acculturation levels. Results are discussed in relation to parental beliefs and practices in these two groups.