WritingThoughts

Over the years I’ve noticed that there are two styles of parenting that seem to go hand-in-hand with two styles of working.

I’ve noticed that some parents are competitive in the way that they parent, just as some workers are competitive in the way that they work. Other parents are cooperative in their parenting, just as some workers are cooperative in their work style.

Telling the difference between the two types of parents can be as simple as listening to what a parent says. A competitive parent often starts a conversation by telling about their child’s latest achievement. A cooperative parent asks about your child first and may not even get around to talking about their own.

Competitive parents are known for pushing their kids, hard. Cooperative parents are more laid back. The kids of competitive parents often seem to “sell” more candy bars for the PTA or have the latest stuff as soon as it hits the shelves. Cooperative parents are more likely to make the kids sell their own candy bars.

Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to each style of parenting. Often, the pushing of competitive parenting does work and their kids do achieve great things. Also, most parents are a combination of competitiveness and cooperation. It’s possible to be very competitive about some things (grades, for example) and not so competitive about others.

For myself, I think that I lean towards the cooperative style of parenting as well as the cooperative style of working. In fact, my DH and I have often wondered if we are too lax. Maybe we should be pushing the kids harder? In the past, I’ve always been complimented in the workplace for my teamwork. As a WAHM, I currently work by myself, but I still lean towards community (blogging and forums) and group projects.

What about you? Are you competitive or cooperative as a parent? What are you as a worker?

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved