RESUMO
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the parenting of mothers with infants and preschoolers in an effort to determine types of parenting. METHODS: The 32 participating mothers were interviewed and from the content of the interviews, their parenting was analyzed. Statements were categorized and analyzed according to the selected procedure. RESULTS: The parenting of mothers was classified into positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement, including 55 significant statements and 14 categories. Positive reinforcement was categorized as frequent skin contact, giving pleasure, spending a lot of time with children, improving children's self-esteem, being sensitive to children's needs, realistic discipline, developing independence, listening to children, and understanding and respecting children's feelings. Negative reinforcement was categorized as overprotection, inconsistent attitude, negligence, negative educational behavior, and emphasis on obedience. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that systematic education should be provided for mothers to increase their ability to provide good parenting. It is expected that the findings of this study would be useful in the development of efficient educational programs.