Navigating the parenting territory

Parenting ideals in the everyday practices of the Finnish Ecec institution

Datos Bibliográficos

ID19472000
AutoresEeva Järventausta (0009-0005-1256-916X, Tampere University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2026
Páginas1-17
Fecha de publicación2026-06-11
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Family Studies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1322-9400 • E-ISSN: 1839-3543
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13229400.2026.2685743
OpenAlexW7164398985
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas40

Becoming a parent involves encounters with institutions that reach into the private domain of child-rearing [Koning, A. D., Johansen, M.-L., & Marchesi, M. (2022). Introduction special issue “Paradoxical orders: Parenting encounters, the welfare state, and difference in Europe”. Ethnography, 23(3), 319–334. https://doi.org/10.1177/1466138120919448]. This study examines how parenting ideals are produced and reshaped within everyday interactions between parents and Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) institution. The research material was generated from two ECEC groups, each comprising children aged 1–4 years, through ethnographic methods. Using the concepts of territory, territorialization, and de/reterritorialization [Deleuze, G., & Guattari, F. (1987). A thousand plateaus: Capitalism and schizophrenia II. University of Minnesota Press, Deleuze, G., & Guattari, F. (2003). Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and schizophrenia. University of Minnesota Press), the study highlights three recurring parenting ideals: diligent gear management, pedagogically oriented parental engagement, and punctuality. These ideals are reshaped in daily institutional encounters, where established expectations can be re-negotiated. The findings reveal how various sociomaterial elements shape what comes to be understood as ‘good” parenting within ECEC settings. Overall, the article shows that ECEC institution both sets standards for parental behaviour and reflects broader societal goals and values. These findings highlight the importance of reflexivity in ECEC policy and practice, with attention to the temporal and contextual dynamics through which expectations toward parenting are formed and negotiated

Everyday life · Institution · Project commissioning · Publishing · Qualitative research · Early Childhood Education and Development · Higher Education Practises and Engagement · Parental Involvement in Education