Concerted Cultivation VS. Natural Growth Concerted cultivation and natural growth are two different types of educating a child by his or her parent’s. Each type of educational technique created a “class” individual. Natural growth created a “working class” individual, while concerted cultivation created a “middle class” individual.
Concerted cultivation is a middle class child educational technique parent’s use on a child to improve their children’s talents. Middle class parents do this through scheduled activities. Concerted cultivated parents also practice the language of reasoning with their child. The parents believe that their children have the right to find an agreement with each parent. Middle class parents also take more consideration with authorities that are connected with their children. Children from concerted cultivation households spend much time in after school classes or programmers such as taking dance lessons or being on a football team. Parents in these families are very involved in their children’s free time, transporting them from activity to activity, which, often, some moms are called “soccer moms” for the children who play soccer. Concerted cultivation parents also emphasize negotiation, encouraging their children to question authority figures, including themselves. As a result, children from concerted cultivation homes tend to be less intimidated by authority, such as teachers, and attain a sense of “power”, believing they are “worthy of adult interest” and can “customize” their environment.
Natural growth is used by the working class or poor class. These parents focus on their children’s safety and discipline. These children usually do not have scheduled activities, but have a wide range of activities to choose from for the entire days-worth. Siblings of the children approached with the natural growth technique have a stronger bond because they are often together and not separated by schedules, which exist in the middle
Cited: Lareau, A. (2011). Unequal childhoods: Class, race, and family life (2nd ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press.