All of us have heard about, if not taught about, the various parenting styles. One emerging parenting style that is raising concern is the “Absent, But Present Parent”. In this Absent, But Present, Parenting Lesson, students will learn more about this type of parenting, the causes, the effects on children and create possible solutions to remedy it in order to strengthen the parent-child relationship.

Set

• I put together a variety of bell ringer options.  Look through them and choose the one you would like to use with your class and delete the others. After you’ve made your selection and students have completed it, discuss it as a class.
• Next read the EXCERPT from a child’s perspective to the class aloud and then orally discuss the prompts. Use these as lead in’s to the topic of “Absent, But Present, Parents. (Be advised that some of your students may have or still do live in this type of parenting environment.)

Materials

• iPads or Laptops
• Projector & Screen
• Station Materials
• Colored Markers, Pencils, Crayons

Activities

• To help students learn more about this parenting style, set up the following stations and have students work through them individually or in small groups. All students need is a pen or pencil as all other materials will be at the stations.
• Station #1:  What is the difference between present parents and absent parents?  Students will read through the statements and decide if the characteristic represent the absent or present parent and then answer by writing the appropriate letter on the line.
• Station #2: What causes may lead to parents becoming absent? In this station, students will work through the scenarios and identify the possible “cause” using the provided word bank.
• Station #3: What are the effects of absent parenting on children? Students will match the cause and effects before answering some reflection questions.
• After students have completed all of the stations, pull them back together and go over the answers, discussing along the way. If you want to share a good visual analogy with your students, show them this YouTube video titled, ” A Present but Absent Parent“.
• As a culminating activity, revisit the original EXCERPT. Before assigning, decide how you want students to complete this.  It can be done individually, in a group, where the group brainstorms possible solutions and each student chooses one to showcase in the STAR Template. The second way is to have students compete the STAR Template individually, coming up with five possible solutions, independently, and showcasing them on the corresponding template.
• Whichever way you choose to complete the final part, display the EXCERPT on the screen and have students reread it, brainstorming actionable strategies that parents could implement to be more present and engaged in their child’s life. After the strategies have be decided upon, give students access to colored markers, pencils and crayons so they can complete the star in a creative fashion using color, doodles and images.
• After students have completed the STAR Template, have them share their solutions with the class and then display them on a bulletin board or around your door for other students, teachers and administration to see.

Attachments

• Bell Ringer Options
• EXERPT with Prompts
• Station #1 Materials
• Station #2 Directions & Materials
• Station #3 Materials
• STAR Template