The year of helicopter parenting and Tiger Moms will soon be over! As 2016 is only a few weeks away, Care.com revealed its prediction about what could be become the norm for raising children next year.
"We are beginning to see parents-especially millennial parents-make fundamental shifts in their approach to raising children," said Care.com's managing editor Katie Bugbee, per Yahoo! Finance. "With more dual-income households, greater access to technology, and shifts in parental roles, family dynamics are changing and giving rise to some exciting, and positive parenting trends."
1) Third-child Style
The millennials who grew up exposed to helicopter parenting will be invoking a different approach. Similar to free-range parenting, the moms and dads of 2016 will take a more relaxed style to raising children by putting emphasis on independence. They will not be micromanagers and they will not be consumed by keeping tabs of schedules and routines.
2) Enlighted Parenting
A relaxed approach doesn't mean parents won't care or will be out of touch with the needs and welfare of their children. In fact, the parents of 2016 will be more in tune and accepting of norms, differences and stereotypes.
3) Nannies with Degrees and Certifications
When hiring care providers, parents will be looking into more than just the nanny's ability to handle the children as degrees, certifications and other necessary educational and child psychology backgrounds may become part of the job requirement. This has actually started trending in job posts for 2015 and will likely rise in demand in 2016, per Parenting.
4) Downsizing, Outsourcing
Parents are going to dial down in 2016 and take on less activities with their children. Instead, they will seek the help of their well-qualified nannies to do more stuff with their kids, such as joining the child at a friend's birthday party. The new moms of 2016 will understand that they cannot do everything and maximizing the help's availability would be beneficial for the family.
5) Two Nannies
Consequently, what this means is that families could have more than one nanny, especially if there are many young children. Care.com describes this as "flex economy" as care providers work unconventional hours and across multiple families.
6) Hybrid Names, Names After Mom
Millennial parents are getting more creative with baby names and 2016 could see the emergence of names that have been created or combined because of their sentimental meaning to the mom and dad. Many parents may also choose to name their daughters after their mom, a trend which is already common among fathers and sons.
