The parenting practices process includes the
mechanism in the interaction between parents and
children, which is shown through direct behaviour
from parent to child, so that parenting goals can be
achieved (Darling & Steinberg, 1993). Parenting
practices are focusing on how parents behave and
their efforts on the development and growth of the
child, which in turn will determine the characteristics
of the child in the future. In addition, parenting
practices provided by parents can also be a mediator
between the development of children's achievement,
adaptation, and children's well-being (Gaspar &
Gaspar de Matos, 2017).
Parenting is a dyadic process, which involves
parents and children but on the other hand, it contains
non-relational factors that can influence parenting,
such as maternal depression (Lovejoy, Graczyk,
O’Hare, & Neuman, 2000). Parents are not the only
parties who play a role in the parenting process.
Characteristics of the child (both physical and
psychological) and their needs, the work and
marriage life of the parents and the role of the
community also play a role in the success of the
parenting process (Brooks, 2013). Characteristics of
children in relation to children’s respective stages of
development (Gorostiaga, Aliri, Balluerka, &
Lameirinhas, 2019), are related to parenting by
parents which means, parenting is related to the
different needs at each stage of child development.
So, parents need to adjust parenting practices given to
children to accommodate children's needs (Respler-
Herman, Mowder, Yasik, & Shamah, 2012). In other
words, the parenting process does not only depend on
parents or children but also depends on the interaction
between children and parents, the role of the
environment and the situation faced by the parents.
Various studies on parenting practices were
sourced from monitoring, supervision, and parental
involvement (Shelton, Frick, & Wootton, 1996) or in
terms of acceptance (involvement) and strictness
(Gorostiaga et al., 2019). The Alabama Parenting
Questionnaire which is used to measure parenting
practice refers to the dimensions: involvement with
children, positive parenting, supervision and
monitoring, corporal punishment, and consistency in
the use of discipline. This study uses the Alabama
Short Form Questionnaire with dimensions: positive
parenting, inconsistency discipline and poor
supervision (Elgar, Waschbusch, Dadds, &
Sigvaldason, 2007).
When a child enters the middle childhood stage or
better known as school age, the child experiences
various changes (Papalia, 2021). Children are more
physically active, more critical in thinking and
learning new things. Children's understanding about
their own emotions and the environment is also
growing. The environment known to the children
become even wider so that this stage provides various
opportunities and challenges. The middle childhood
development stage is also a critical point for children
to learn about competence (Angela, 2011). For
parents, the middle childhood stage becomes a stage
for children to develop their abilities. On the other
hand, in line with the development experienced by
children, parents need to change the control that is
usually carried out, by providing opportunities for
children to improve ability to make decisions so that
the role of parents is no longer controlling but instead
turning into monitoring. Sharing controls with
children or what is commonly referred to as
coregulation, become a change of role that parent can
do when the child is in the middle childhood stage
(Brooks, 2013).
The role of parenting in the ‘school age’ period is
also important as a basis for influencing the success
of the academic aspects in the future and shaping
expected behaviour (Kahraman, Yilmaz Irmak, &
Basokcu, 2017). In addition, at school age, parents are
still the main figures that children look for when they
experience difficulties. The role of parents in this
stage is not only in terms of monitoring but also in
warm interaction to provide opportunities for children
to ask for help when needed (Brooks, 2013). For this
reason, it is necessary to understand parents in dealing
with and providing care for children who are in the
middle childhood development stage, especially to
fulfil children's needs. Parents who understand the
stages of child development can provide more
optimal parenting (Belcher, Watkins, Johnson, &
Ialongo, 2007).
In fact, parenting is a process and while living it,
parents can feel various feelings in carrying out their
role as parents, both positive and negative feelings in
providing care for children (Brooks, 2013). As a
result, parents experience stress or what is better
known as parental stress. Previous studies have
focused more on the influence of parents on children,
not the opposite. Even though the role of a parent
includes various things such as giving love and
developing more intimate relationships, this role can
be tiring as well as rewarding for parents. This is the
content of the parental stress measurement. Parental
stress can affect children's behaviour at various stages
of development, from infancy to adolescence (Louie,
Cromer, & Berry, 2017)
The degree of parental stress can fluctuate
depending on the stage of child development and the
demands faced by parents (Pontoppidan, Nielsen, &