**3. Beliefs about practices: How do Brazilian mothers think they should care for their children?**

Goals for the future are somewhat translated into practices. Hence, we have focused also on mothers' beliefs about appropriate care practices. They were investigated in two studies: Vieira, Seidl-de-Moura, Macarini et al., 2010; Vieira, Seidl-de-Moura, Lordelo et al. 2010). Data were collected using two instruments: The Inventory of Beliefs about Practices (adapted from Suizzo, 2002) and the Scale of Practices of Care (Keller, 2007). Both were adapted for use in Brazil.

Suizzo's (2002) inventory of "Beliefs and Ideas about Infants and Young Children" was employed in the study by Vieira, Seidl-de-Moura, Lordelo et al. (2010). The original version of the instrument has 50 items, 25 of them related to babies less than one year-old, and 25 related to infants between one and three years-old. For each item, the mother is asked to rate the level of importance attributed to the practice using a 6-point Likert scale (0 = disagree, 1 = without importance, 2 = of little importance, 3 = of average importance, 4 = very important, and 5 = extremely important). The mother is asked to answer according to what she thinks, and not according to what she does with her child. In the Brazilian version, three factors were identified and a total of 27 items were used. The first factor named "Exposing the child to diverse stimulation" ("Stimulation") is composed by 12 items (*α* =.70).One example of item is: "Giving toys to one's baby to waken his/her senses". The second factor, named "Ensuring the proper presentation of the child" ("Proper presentation"), is composed by 10 items (*α* =.70), one of which is "Teaching one's child to be quiet (tranquil) in public". The last factor was named "Responsiveness and bonding", which is constituted by 5 items (*α* =.60). The first factor is associated with a trajectory valuing the development of autonomy, and the second valuing interdependence. We have not used the score in the third factor.

Keller's (2007) scale of Beliefs about Practices has ten items that indicate mothers' opinions about the proper way to care for children during the first three years of age. The scale comprises two dimensions, relational practices and autonomous practices, each with five items. The dimension of relational practices (*α* =.78) includes items that emphasize body contact and the immediate satisfaction of babies' needs; and the second, autonomous practices, includes items dealing with the promotion of early child self-regulation, object stimulation, and face-to-face interaction relational practices (*α* =.86). They are presented as affirmatives to be evaluated in a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from "Not important" to "Very important".

Vieira, Seidl-de-Moura, Lordelo et al. (2010) used a national sample. Mothers from seven cities answered an inventory on their beliefs about care practices of young children. The dimensions of practices most valued were "Proper Presentation" (oriented by socially accepted daily rules), followed by "Stimulation" (aimed to stimulate their children's development). However, these characteristics were modulated by the parents' educational level and cultural conditions. For example, "Proper Presentation" was influenced by city of origin. Mothers living in Belém attributed greater value to this dimension than mothers living in Porto Alegre. The former city is located in North of Brazil, with strong influence of the indigenous culture. The latter city is located in South of Brazil, with greater influence of the European colonization. In addition, the importance of stimulation is related to mothers' educational level. Mothers with a higher educational level show more stress on the stimulation of their children.

education give more answers related to self well-being as a socialization goal for their children

**3. Beliefs about practices: How do Brazilian mothers think they should care**

Goals for the future are somewhat translated into practices. Hence, we have focused also on mothers' beliefs about appropriate care practices. They were investigated in two studies: Vieira, Seidl-de-Moura, Macarini et al., 2010; Vieira, Seidl-de-Moura, Lordelo et al. 2010). Data were collected using two instruments: The Inventory of Beliefs about Practices (adapted from Suizzo, 2002) and the Scale of Practices of Care (Keller, 2007). Both were adapted for use in

Suizzo's (2002) inventory of "Beliefs and Ideas about Infants and Young Children" was employed in the study by Vieira, Seidl-de-Moura, Lordelo et al. (2010). The original version of the instrument has 50 items, 25 of them related to babies less than one year-old, and 25 related to infants between one and three years-old. For each item, the mother is asked to rate the level of importance attributed to the practice using a 6-point Likert scale (0 = disagree, 1 = without importance, 2 = of little importance, 3 = of average importance, 4 = very important, and 5 = extremely important). The mother is asked to answer according to what she thinks, and not according to what she does with her child. In the Brazilian version, three factors were identified and a total of 27 items were used. The first factor named "Exposing the child to diverse stimulation" ("Stimulation") is composed by 12 items (*α* =.70).One example of item is: "Giving toys to one's baby to waken his/her senses". The second factor, named "Ensuring the proper presentation of the child" ("Proper presentation"), is composed by 10 items (*α* =.70), one of which is "Teaching one's child to be quiet (tranquil) in public". The last factor was named "Responsiveness and bonding", which is constituted by 5 items (*α* =.60). The first factor is associated with a trajectory valuing the development of autonomy, and the second valuing

Keller's (2007) scale of Beliefs about Practices has ten items that indicate mothers' opinions about the proper way to care for children during the first three years of age. The scale comprises two dimensions, relational practices and autonomous practices, each with five items. The dimension of relational practices (*α* =.78) includes items that emphasize body contact and the immediate satisfaction of babies' needs; and the second, autonomous practices, includes items dealing with the promotion of early child self-regulation, object stimulation, and face-to-face interaction relational practices (*α* =.86). They are presented as affirmatives to be evaluated in

Vieira, Seidl-de-Moura, Lordelo et al. (2010) used a national sample. Mothers from seven cities answered an inventory on their beliefs about care practices of young children. The dimensions of practices most valued were "Proper Presentation" (oriented by socially accepted daily rules), followed by "Stimulation" (aimed to stimulate their children's development). However, these characteristics were modulated by the parents' educational level and cultural conditions.

interdependence. We have not used the score in the third factor.

a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from "Not important" to "Very important".

than mothers with less years of formal education.

8 Parenting in South American and African Contexts

**for their children?**

Brazil.

In Vieira, Seidl-de-Moura, Macarini et al. (2010), using Keller´s scales and a sample of 606 mothers from state capitals and small cities, it was observed that mothers from capitals report more practices of stimulation and value more these practices than the ones from small cities. In small cities, mothers with a higher educational level reported having more stimulation practices with their children. It was observed the inclusion of autonomy values and practices in a context traditionally more interdependent, which can be interpreted to be the result of social-economic changes in small cities. However, in small cities there was a greater appreci‐ ation of relatedness. In capitals, both relatedness and autonomy are valued. The conclusion is that there is a dynamic relationship between autonomy and relatedness depending on the place of the mothers' residence (capital or small city). Although differences were observed, charac‐ teristics of autonomy and relatedness were present in mothers' beliefs in both contexts.
