Parenting in the new millennium
Parenting in modern times is very different from when our parents, and grandparents, looked after their new babies. Society and family life have changed dramatically, and so have our expectations of what parenting should be. Newborn babies are essentially the same, but modern research, medicine and treatments have meant that how our parents fed and cared for babies, is now very different. Practices that we as babies 'survived', are often no longer acceptable, and our society still evolves, changes and learns as we move further into the future.
Women are increasingly delaying having their babies until they are older, and if their close friends are not having babies around the same time, many parents find that their friendships with others often alter, once they cross the 'great divide' into being a 'mother' or 'father'. Women are more likely to be highly educated and employed during their pregnancy, often having pressure on them to return to work within weeks, or months, after the birth. This may be because they are the main 'breadwinner', or the family needs two wages to support their financial commitments. For many women the pressure comes from themselves to keep their 'career on track', so they don't get 'left behind' in regards to job opportunities and promotions. Placing young babies into
childcare, or fathers being
'stay-at-home dads' is now not an uncommon practice in our community.
Couples are marrying later (or staying in defacto relationships), separations are tending to follow couples staying together for shorter periods, and there is an increase in men and women having 'second families' with new partners. More than 25% of Australian children are born into single-parent families.
Life is much faster now, information technology has revolutionalised the way we live, work, learn and relax.