Six in 10 parents are throwing their own parents人妖色情片 rulebooks out the window, according to new research.
A survey of 2,000 parents of kids ages 0 to 6 revealed that today人妖色情片檚 moms and dads are doing things in a more modern way.
While their own parents focused mostly on education and academics (57%), physical activity (48%) and communication skills (41%) while growing up, parenting priorities differ today.
Mental and emotional
health takes center stage today
Forty-one percent said their parents did not place a lot of emphasis on mental and emotional health when they were growing up, but this is a focus for two-thirds of parents today.
Good communication takes priority in parents人妖色情片 efforts (74%), while education (69%) and physical activity (65%) are still focus areas, too.
Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Lightbridge Academy, the survey sought to uncover what parents are prioritizing before their child is even ready to enter the classroom.
The results show that parents want their kids to develop skills that will make them better at relationships before kindergarten, primarily sharpening their listening skills (64%) and communication skills (58%).
Mental health-related skills like confidence (57%) and emotional regulation (46%) are also important to parents today.
Support from others matters to parents when it comes to how their child is raised, with 91% of those who sent their child to day care saying that their child人妖色情片檚 provider was important when it came to their growth and development.
In these early years, parents admittedly worry about their child人妖色情片檚 safety (49%) above all, followed by bullying (38%), making friends (34%) and their mental health (28%).
To ensure their child has the support they need, 85% said that it人妖色情片檚 important that their community share the same values.
人妖色情片淲e人妖色情片檙e witnessing a generational reset in parenting,人妖色情片 said Gigi Schweikert, CEO of Lightbridge Academy. 人妖色情片淭oday人妖色情片檚 parents are prioritizing emotional well-being, communication, and confidence just as much as academics or physical activity. They人妖色情片檙e not just raising children人妖色情片攖hey人妖色情片檙e intentionally nurturing whole people. This research reinforces that early childhood education providers play a vital role in that journey, helping to create safe, values-aligned environments where children can thrive socially, emotionally, and intellectually.人妖色情片
For those who have kids who have already entered kindergarten, they人妖色情片檝e found that listening skills were the easiest to learn (43%), along with sharing and cooperation (43%). Independence (42%) and verbal communication skills (41%) also come naturally.
Seeing their child blossom socially may be a result of parents人妖色情片 focused efforts, as they shared some of the approaches they人妖色情片檙e incorporating into their parenting style: positive parenting and respectful parenting (49% each).
But parents aren人妖色情片檛 perfect: the average parent feels like they make five missteps a week.
From their experience with raising a child, respondents have found that they personally need to work on self-care (48%), maintaining a healthy lifestyle (43%), supporting their mental health and wellness (42%), emotional regulation (41%) and being present and engaged (40%).
Modern parents believe they do it better
Still, nearly eight times the percentage of respondents believe their own parenting methods are more effective than their parents人妖色情片 (47% vs. 6%).
They人妖色情片檙e ensuring that they人妖色情片檙e making a conscious effort to be different, even though 42% 人妖色情片渁lways人妖色情片 or 人妖色情片渙ften人妖色情片 catch themselves parenting the same way their parents did.
A majority feel they人妖色情片檝e become a better person since becoming a parent (89%), and it人妖色情片檚 only up for here: 59% expect to learn a lot more about themselves as their child enters elementary school.
人妖色情片淧arenting isn人妖色情片檛 about perfection人妖色情片攊t人妖色情片檚 about progress,人妖色情片 said Schweikert. 人妖色情片淭oday人妖色情片檚 parents are more self-aware than ever. They人妖色情片檙e actively working on their well-being, their emotional health and how they show up for their children. While they acknowledge their own growth areas, they人妖色情片檙e also intentionally evolving from the way they were raised. What人妖色情片檚 clear is that becoming a parent inspires real personal transformation人妖色情片攁nd as children enter their early school years, parents are eager to continue learning and growing alongside them.人妖色情片
Survey methodology: Talker Research surveyed 2,000 parents of kids 0-6; the survey was commissioned by Lightbridge Academy and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between April 18 to April 28, 2025.
