Parents learn as their children grow. As a parent of two I embarked on this project to learn from parents of all ages.
PROJECT OVERVIEWParents of similarly aged children routinely share ideas. Learning from older parents happens more organically through neighbors, family and friends. This conceptual project started as a way to gain perspective on how parenting changes over time.
realistic parentingA point of view emerged around realism in parenting, not the idealized holiday card version but also not a despairing and defeated one. The insights were distilled from the research and the visualizations reflect on the reality of parenting children of all ages.
Research participantsQualitative research with families consisted of in person interviews and a short questionnaire. The age of the children (or years of parental experience) ranged from 18 months to 41 years.
Discussion guide topicsAdvice: What advice would you give your younger self? Or a new parent just starting out?
Resources: Where have you sought support for parenting? Why? When?
Challenges: How did you overcome an especially challenging time as a parent?
Growth: How have you matured, grown, or changed as a parent?
Universality: What do you feel you have in common with other parents?
