Managing Children's Friendships Through Interparental Relationships: Roles of Ethnicity and Friendship Context

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Anne C. Fletcher, Associate Professor (Creator)
Andrea G. Hunter, Associate Professor (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: Twenty African American and European American mothers of fourth-grade students reflected on strategies for managing children's friend. ships maintained across a variety of contexts. Ethnicity differentially located families within specific social contexts that yielded children's friendships, then informed social processes as they unfolded within these contexts. Maternal knowledge concerning children's friendships developed as a function of the types of relationships formed among parents encountered within different settings. Findings suggest that inter-parental relationships represent a key source of information about children's friendships. Yet, maternal opportunities to establish such relationships differ on the basis of both ethnicity and the nature of contexts in which children's friendships are maintained.

Additional Information

Publication
Journal of Marriage and Families, 69(5), 1135-1149.
Language: English
Date: 2007
Keywords
Elementary school, Children, Parenting, Friendships, Social networks, Ethnicity

Email this document to