Introduction

Every generation has characteristics which define them. Whether it is a difference in music preference, use of technology, or personal views on politics, each generation is unlike the next. One specific difference is how close children are with their parents. Stereotypically, the older the generation the less of a relationship there is between parents and their children. As generations have progressed, parents have strived for a closer relationship with their children then they had growing up with their parents. The point of this research study was to find out and show how drastic of a change there was through each generations relationship with their parents. It was made possible to find how significant of a difference there is between each generation by giving out surveys of personal questions based off of relationships with children and their parents. This study was done in hopes of finding out a clear distinction of the generational differences found in parenting as the years have progressed.

Literature Review
Brittany Harvey and Tori Hernandez
A persons relationship defines them. So relationships of a generation define their generation. One of the most important relationships a person can have in their life in the relationship with their parents. Each generation that has passed has had a different kind of relationship then the last. Research shows that as each generation has passed, children report that they are becoming closer with their parents. Child-parent relationships are significantly correlated with the parents involvement in their childs lives (Tani 320). Childrens lives and development are

affected by the relationships especially of family members (Ross 110). Family relationships affect childrens adjustment, well being, sibling relationships, and problem solving (Ross 110). As children grow up it is important for them to have close relationships with their parents and have parents who are involved with their lives in order for them to develop properly and have healthy relationships in other areas of their lives. However, there is evidence to show that parenting styles do not pass on from generation to generation (Bronson 147). This makes sense because as each generation has passed, children and parents have become closer and had more of a bond. Not only are these relationships important mentally, but they are also important to a persons life physically. Life stress is also hypothesized to increase..health distress (Harvey 209). To add on to this, parents lives affect their childrens lives, so if a parent is stressed in their physical health, this will also take a toll on their children. These factors influence the parental functioning (Harvey 207), that is, how the parents actually parent their children. If parents give children unreciprocated levels of care and support (Pillemer 779), then it will affect the child negatively later on in life. The amount of involvement, affection and reliability in a childs life from a parent affects the closeness and intensity of the relationship the most (Bronson 145). Generation X is known to be the latchkey children, which are the children who had working parents and were often left at home by themselves. One study shows that at the kindergarten age, children start to learn psychopathological development and that a majority of this learning comes from their family (Stadelmann 93). Being separated from their parents at a young age is associated with an increased rate of behavioral/emotional problems in children (Stadelmann 93). So for Generation X, it

makes sense to see that they were affected the most by having absent parents. Divorce and and exposure to marital conflict (Stadelmann 94) has proven to affect greatly childrens representations and their psychopathological development (Stadelmann 94). It is proven that family conflict is correlated with conduct problems and hyperactivity in younger ages (Stadelmann 97) which in turn will affect the children for their entire lives. With the divorce rate being at its highest in the past years, it is clear to see that Generation X would have problems growing up with relationships since their homes were broken. Relationships are fostered through interactions and time spent doing things together (Tani 301) which shows that Generation X would have a hard time building that connection with their parents since they were mostly absent. Millenials on the other hand, have much greater relationships with their parents because Millenials parents were around much more. Houses that have gone through divorce affect the parent to child relationship as well. They are linked in the social-emotional and behavioral problems in children (Lussier 363). Because the child may be taken from one of the parents during a divorce, many children become closer to other family members such as grandparents (Lussier 364) which in turn will take them away some from their relationship with their parents. Grandparents are able to be the support in the childs life (Lussier 364), so the child may go to them when in struggle instead of going to their parents. Parent-child relationships tend to be come strained (Pillemer 780) when other problems influence the relationship - like a divorce. Children and teens need stability (Howe 13) in order to create lasting relationships throughout their lives. Parents and children find an

importance in quality of relationships and also place importance on what others bring to the relationship (Ross 117). In regards to age, especially concerning fathers, the older the parent, the more emotional and instrumental was the support given (Schwarz 405). The more support children receive from their parents, the more supportive the children felt towards their parents (Scwarz 407). Even though there has not been much studied on corporal punishment, it has been found single parent families and parents of larger families usually practice corporal punishment more than smaller families or two-parent families and a correlation of traditional lifestyle[s] and practice of corporal punishment(Asher 688). They also found that the older that someone was the more likely that they were in support of corporal punishment (Asher 689).

Works Cited Ben-Arieh, A., & Haj-Yahia, M. (2008). Corporal Punishment of Children: A MultiGenerational Perspective. Journal of Family Violence, 23(8), 687-695. Pillemer, K., Suitor, J., Mock, S. E., Sabir, M., Pardo, T. B., & Sechrist, J. (2007). Capturing the Complexity of Intergenerational Relations: Exploring Ambivalence within Later-Life Families. Journal of Social Issues, 63(4), 775-791. Bronson, W. C., Katten, E. S., & Livson, N. (1959). Patterns of authority and affection in two generations. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 58(2), 143-152. Harvey, D. M., Curry, C. J., & Bray, J. H. (1991). Individuation and intimacy in intergenerational relationships and health: Patterns across two generations. Journal of Family Psychology, 5(2), 204-236. Lussier, G., Deater-Deckard, K., Dunn, J., & Davies, L. (2002). Support across two generations: Children's closeness to grandparents following parental divorce and remarriage. Journal of Family Psychology, 16(3), 363-376. Schwarz, B., Trommsdorff, G., Albert, I., & Mayer, B. (2005). Adult ParentChild Relationships: Relationship Quality, Support, and Reciprocity. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 54(3), 396-417. Ross, H., Stein, N., Trabasso, T., Woody, E., & Ross, M. (2005). The quality of family relationships within and across generations: A social relations analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 29(2), 110-119. Howe, L. T. (1990). Between the generations : healing the hurts and reconciling the differences. Perkins Journal, 43(1-2), 1-18. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Tani, F., Bonechi, A., Peterson, C., & Smorti, A. (2010). Parental Influences on Memories of Parents and Friends. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 171(4), 300-329. STADELMANN, S., PERREN, S., GROEBEN, M., & von KLITZING, K. (2010). Parental Separation and Children's Behavioral/Emotional Problems: The Impact of Parental Representations and Family Conflict. Family Process, 49(1), 92-108.

Methodology

Survey Objective With this survey we hope to find how each participant from each generation feels about the relationship between themselves and their parental figures. It is understood that depending on the generational time period, participants of the older generations are less likely to have had as close a relationship with their parents like the participants of the younger generations.

Participants and Procedures In order to retain information from each generation a survey was prepared and handed out. After the researchers put together multiple questions that pertained to the topic of interest. Subjects were found through internet, phone calls, and face to face interaction. Participants filled surveys out with understanding as to why they were being asked to. Surveys were completed immediately and handed back to the researchers. The finished data was collected and counted; each question was put into graph form to visually show what the final similarities and differences were.

Questions Questions given to the participants were based off of their personal relationships with their parents. There were also questions based off of the relationship between them and their own children. In order to keep personal information, such as age, disclosed the different generational years were listed on the top of the survey for participants to identify what generation they belong too. All questions were based on a yes or no answer or on a scale of 1-5.

Hypothesis Relationships between parents and children are different depending on each generation. Due to the fact that some current adults did not like the way they were raised, we believe this will have an effect on how they have/will raise their own children. H1: The older the generation, the less of a relationship the parent and child had at the time. H2: Due to the relationship difference in the older generations, parents in the newer generations are determined to have a closer relationship with their children.

Survey Design Survey was given to fifteen random individuals from each generation. The survey was made up of questions based on their relationship with their parents. Gender: Male / Female Year Born: 1925-1945 1946-1964 1965-1980 1981-2000

1. Please choose one of the following to describe your family structure Parents are married Parents are divorced One or more parents are deceased

2. On a scale from 1-5 how close would you describe your relationship with your parents? 1 Not close 2 3 4 5 Extremely close

3. Who are you more close with? Mom _____ Dad ________

4. How often do you go to your mom for advice? 1 Not often 5. How often do you go to your dad for advice? 1 Not often 2 3 4 5 All the time 2 3 4 5 All the time

6. Circle all which apply to your relationship with your mom: Best Friends Strictly mother-daughter/ son relationship Mentor No relationship Hero Other __________________

7. Circle all which apply to your relationship with your father: Best Friends Strictly Father-daughter / Son relationship 8. Who is more strict? Mom __________ Dad ___________ Mentor No relationship Hero Other __________________

9. On a scale of 1-5, how much more strict are they compared to the other parental figure? 1 2 3 4 5

No at all

Extremely strict

10. 0n a scale if 1-5, how often were your parents home? 1 2 3 4 5

No at all 11. How often were you disciplined? Never Sometimes Rarely

All the Time

Only when disobedient

Everyday

12. Do you have children? If no, go to question 15 Yes _________ No ___________

13. If yes, on a scale of 1-5 what is your relationship with your children? 1 2 3 4 5

Not Close

Extremely close

14. Would you consider yourself closer with your kids than you were with your own parents? Yes ________ No __________

15. If no, on a scale of 1-5, how close would you want your relationship to be if you did have children? 1 2 3 4 5

Not Close

Extremely close

Conclusion As the time goes on and generations progress, by the research done, it is evident that the relationships between parents and their children are becoming stronger. As hypothesized, during the older generations, the bond between the parents and the children were not well-built, but as time continued it is shown that parents are determined to having remarkable relationships with their children. The parents of today are not only wanting a mother/father-daughter/son relationship, but are determined to becoming their childs hero, best friend, and mentor. By handing out a total of fifteen surveys to each generation, all participants were asked to express their relationship with their parents and their own children. After collecting the data, the hypotheses were proven correct. Younger generations want to have a close relationship with their children and are determined to make that happen.

APPENDIX 16. Please choose one of the following to describe your family structure Parents are married Traditionals: Baby Boom: Gen X: Millenials: 12 10 2 9 Parents are divorced 3 15 13 6

17. On a scale from 1-5 how close would you describe your relationship with your parents? 1 Traditionals: Baby Boom: 5 7 2 3 2 3 4 3 4 3 2 5 0 1

Gen X: Millenials:
14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 1 2

12 2

2 0

1 1

0 7

0 5

Traditionals Baby Boomers Gen X Millenials

18. Who are you more close with? Mom _____ Traditionals: Baby Boom: Gen X: Millenials: 5 11 7 9 Dad ________ 10 4 8 6

19. How often do you go to your mom for advice?

1 Traditionals: Baby Boom: Gen X: Millenials: 5 2 7 0

2 3 3 4 0

3 4 5 2 4

4 2 2 0 6

5 1 3 2 5

20. How often do you go to your dad for advice? 1 Traditionals: Baby Boom: Gen X: Millenials: 2 9 11 0 2 3 4 3 3 3 2 1 2 2 4 4 0 0 6 5 4 1 0 4

21. Circle all which apply to your relationship with your mom: Best Friends (Traditionals-0, Baby Boom- 0, Gen X- 2, Millenials- 12) Mentor (Traditionals- 3, Baby Boom- 0, Gen X- 1, Millenials- 12) Hero (Traditionals- 5, Baby Boom- 2, Gen X-3 Millenials-12) Strictly mother-daughter/ son relationship (Traditionals- 6, Baby Boom- 9, Gen X- 4, Millenials0) No relationship (Traditionals- 1, Baby Boom- 4, Gen X-5, Millenials-0) 22. Circle all which apply to your relationship with your father: Best Friends (Traditionals- 0, Baby Boom- 2, Gen X-0, Millenials-13) Mentor (Traditionals- 12, Baby Boom- 5, Gen X-2, Millenials-10) Hero (Traditionals- 11, Baby Boom- 7, Gen X-5, Millenials-10) Strictly Father-daughter / Son relationship (Traditionals- 3, Baby Boom- 4, Gen X-10, Millenials2) No relationship (Traditionals- 1, Baby Boom- 3, Gen X-5, Millenials-1)

23. Who is more strict? Mom __________ Traditionals Baby Boom Gen X Millenials 3 5 6 8 Dad ___________ 12 10 9 7

24. On a scale of 1-5, how much more strict are they compared to the other parental figure? 1 Traditionals Baby Boom Gen X Millenials 0 0 1 5 2 0 3 4 3 3 4 6 3 2 4 7 4 5 3 5 4 2 2 2

25. 0n a scale if 1-5, how often were your parents home? 1 Traditionals Baby Boom Gen X Millenials 26. How often were you disciplined? Never Sometimes Traditionals 0 4 Rarely 2 Only when disobedient 6 Everyday 3 2 3 4 6 0 3 4 4 2 0 2 5 2 1 1 4

3 2 3 3

12 2 2 4

Baby Boom Gen X Millenials

2 1 1

4 3 1

2 5 0

4 5 12

3 1 1

27. Do you have children? If no, go to question 15 Yes _________ Traditionals Baby Boom Gen X Millenials 13 15 12 0 No ___________ 2 0 3 15

28. If yes, on a scale of 1-5 what is your relationship with your children? 1 Traditionals Baby Boom Gen X Millenials 4 5 1 N/A 2 6 2 2 3 2 2 0 4 2 3 6 5 1 3 6

29. Would you consider yourself closer with your kids than you were with your own parents?

Yes ________ Traditionals Baby Boom Gen X Millenials 3 4 10 N/A

No __________ 12 11 5

30. If no, on a scale of 1-5, how close would you want your relationship to be if you did have children? 1 Traditionals Baby Boom Gen X Millenials 2 3 0 4 0 5 2

0 0 N/A 0 0 0 0

0 0

0 0

3 15