| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. |
A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English. 1996.
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5. Gender: Sexist Language and Assumptions
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| § 27. parent / parenting |
| The verb parent is one of those intriguing words that is used metaphorically before a primary or concrete meaning has established itself. Its original sense, meaning “to produce,” dates from the 17th century. The meaning “to act as a parent to” has been around since the late 19th century, but again metaphorically: governments “parent” certain citizens, for example. These uses are rare, however, and parent is most familiar now in its use as a gerund meaning “raising children,” as in Men need to be initiated into primary parenting. This use has been around since the 1950s, and parenting is now widely used in newspapers and magazines. The verb parent itself, as in I’ve found more time to parent since I started working half-time, is rarely used in print. | 1 |
| With parental leave for new parents gaining in practice and fathers more involved in child-raising, both the term parenting and the job of parenting have risen to new heights of acceptance: even President Clinton has said, “I think parenting is the most important job in this society. “ | 2 |
| Nonetheless, the term parenting has had many critics, perhaps because it derives from a verb that was made from a noun in the manner of contact and modem. Back in 1988, the Usage Panel could not muster much affection for it. Only 46 percent accepted it in formal writing in this example: In choosing foster homes we give preference first to relatives and second to families with prior experience in parenting. But given the word’s widespread usage, it is likely that more panel members would accept it today. | 3 |
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| The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. Copyright © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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