ABSTRACT
What does it mean to be a parent? What are the core responsibilities and privileges of parenting that help to define this role to oneself and in the eyes of others? To most individuals, parenting involves essential responsibilities: providing for economic and maternal needs, offering guidance and instruction, and exercising authority in the lives of offspring. It also involves the satisfaction of sharing everyday experiences with children that provide a foundation for affection, mutual understanding, and developing relationships. When one or more of these facets of parenting are denied them, adults are likely to feel that their parenting role has been significantly abridged.
