“You Gotta Start Thinking like a Parent”: Hopes,Dreams,and Concerns of Ethnic Minority Adolescent Parents

Abstract

This study explored the lived experience of parenting that may inform individual health practices and behavior of young, ethnic minority primarily Latino parents, participants in a HIV prevention intervention. Narrative accounts from parents (N = 90) were analyzed to illuminate the impact of parental protectiveness and aspirations for the child. Focus groups (n = 23) were utilized to generate a nuanced understanding of young parenthood. Self-reflective, complex, and multidimensional perspectives on parental protectiveness emerged along themes: (a) “growing up thoughtful,” (b) “you gotta start thinking like a parent,” (c) “togetherness and bonding,” (d) “better life,” (e) “the neighborhood,” and (f) “expectations and pressure.” Implications are discussed with a focus on integrating the concept of parental protectiveness into a strengths-based perspective.