According to the United States Census, there is an average of over four and a half million children born each year. With numbers like this, it is easy to see how raising children should be a concern in all of our minds. Whether we have sisters or brothers that have children or we, ourselves, become parents. Methods for raising children has for a long time running been a thorn in the foot of society. Many people share different views and opinions that sometimes clash or simply do not correlate well together.
             Things have obviously changed dramatically since the 1960's when the typical family was supported financially by the father and cared for emotionally by the mother. Now we have many broken homes and single parents. Adoption has become acceptable and not so uncommon. Occasionally, children are raising children themselves. For example, I had many friends in high school that had children, while attending school and working. Does this mean our thoughts on parenting should evolve from the 1960's concepts our parents had? Are one person's conceptions on parenting necessarily better than another's?
             America has had and will continue to have a "born to breed" kind of atmosphere, where all of us have this internal need or expectation to reproduce. Society leads us to believe we need to reproduce to carry on our legacy. Such shows as Seventh Heaven and The Brady Bunch portray family life to be nearly flawless and all the problems that can arise to be easily handled. Such magazines as Parenting also tend to suggest raising children is all glory. Television shows and magazines tend to instill in people the thought that parenting is all a joy, that their lives will be lived happily ever after in clean homes with perfect yards and white picket fences.
             I know myself, as well as many others have been drawn in by the colorful picture parenting magazines as well as television shows
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