An Exploration of the Lived Experiences of Mothers with Successful Female Children to Develop a Native Parenting Style

Abstract

Background: Numerous studies have investigated parental influence, especially the influence of parenting styles on children’s development. Accordingly, the present study aimed to identify the components of a native parenting style by exploring the lived experiences of mothers with successful female children. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using a descriptive phenomenological design to explore the lived experiences of the mothers of female students in the second year of high school in Najafabad, Isfahan, Iran, in the academic year 2018-2019. The participants were selected using purposive sampling. Thus, successful girls were identified from among the students who had a GPA of at least 18 and based on their responses to the items in the Psychological Wellbeing Scale (Ryff, 1989), Keyes Social Well-Being Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Diener Satisfaction with Life Scale. Finally, 14 students with success criteria were selected. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the students’ mothers. The collected data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step approach. Results: A total of 93 primary codes identified in this study were categorized into 23 categories and six main themes: 1) Disciplinary practices (encouragement, punishment, control, and authority), 2) valuing the child (delegating responsibility, paying attention to the child’s interests, giving independence, and giving character to the child), 3) positive emotional interactions (intimacy, mature interactions, educational flexibility, acceptance, and recreation and fun activities), 4) establishing boundaries in applying childrearing practices (maternal role, parental agreement, and the central role of parents in childrearing), 5) understanding (family cohesion, family respect, and fair treatment) and 6) parenting dynamics (serving as a role model, gathering information, guiding the child, and fixing parental problems in the child). Conclusion: In the present study, a component-based model was developed, which seems to be effective in improving parenting styles and children’s conditions.