Summiya Yasmeen

Every vocation has — and constantly develops — its own vocabulary. Medicine, technology and finance, for instance, regularly add new words as knowledge evolves. Parenting is no different. As ideas and philosophies about raising children evolve with changing times, so does the language that describes them.

Every generation of parents has had its own parenting problems and solutions — and its own parenting style and vocabulary. In the Victorian age, best child development practices centred around obedience, discipline and inculcating good manners. In the 20th century, the focus shifted to understanding child psychology and development, with researchers recommending new parenting styles to nurture children’s cognitive, emotional and social development. Now, as we enter the second quarter of the 21st century, millennial and Gen Z parents are confronted with challenges that perhaps no earlier generation experienced. Constantly evolving new digital technologies — internet, social media and artificial intelligence — have made parenting more challenging than ever. Children of the new BANI (brittle, anxious, non-linear and incomprehensible) era require careful preparation and mentoring to navigate societies shaped by the worldwide net and social media.

Unsurprisingly, a new lexicon of parenting jargon — specialised terminology, acronyms, slang and buzzwords — has emerged to describe the zeitgeist of child-rearing in the new digital age. From gentle and helicopter parenting to sharenting and sittervising, new jargon reflects changing parenting styles and children’s expectations from parents and caregivers. With social media, parenting blogs, WhatsApp and online communities having become ubiquitous, new buzzwords go viral rapidly, shaping how parents understand, discuss, and practise parenting in the 21st century. In particular, the world of social media has ideated catchy, instantly shareable parenting buzzwords.

In our cover story this month, we present the latest parenting styles and associated jargon describing ways and means to nurture happy, confident children in the 21st century. Parents are advised to familiarize themselves with the latest parenting styles and expectations of children. It will help them understand Gen Alpha better and adapt their child-rearing practices to the evolving realities of the digital age.

There’s a lot else in this issue of PW. Check out our Middle Years story featuring suggestions to introduce children to the joys of birdwatching and Special Essay in which child psychologists share ways and means to teach children emotions regulation. Also recommended is the Health story featuring valuable advice on preventing myopia in preschoolers and ensuring children’s long-term ocular health.