upbringing
How you're raised
Upbringing is the way a child is raised—the combination of care, discipline, values, and environment that shapes development into adulthood.
The word carries connotations of formative influence: Her strict upbringing made her disciplined but anxious.
A good or bad upbringing often appears in explanations of adult behavior: He blamed his upbringing for his trust issues.
Progress toward maturity
- childhoodLife's earliest phase
- adolescenceTeenage developmental stage
- maturationProcess of becoming complete
- shapingGiving something its form
conditioning · influence · experiences · milestones · foundation · impressionable · formative years · socialization
Attending to dependents
- guardianshipLegal care of another
- motheringCaring for children
- fatheringMale role in procreation
- disciplineTrained self-control or specialty
guidance · supervision · custody · mentorship · sheltering · protection · support · boundaries
Domestic unit of residents
- siblingsFellow offspring
- parentsMother and father
- grandparentsAncestors once removed
- relativesThose connected by blood
extended family · blended family · adoptive · foster · nuclear family · multigenerational · kinship · home life
Study of right conduct
- valuesPrinciples held worthwhile
- virtueMoral goodness or merit
- conscienceInternal moral sense
- principlesFoundational moral beliefs
integrity · honesty · responsibility · empathy · compassion · fairness · respect · discipline
Long-established customs passed down
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- valuesPrinciples held worthwhile
- beliefsAccepted truths, personal
rituals · language · religion · ethnicity · identity · ancestry · nationality · community
Rigorous, without flexibility
- lenientTolerant of faults
- permissiveTolerant, lacking strictness
- authoritarianFavoring absolute control
- shelteredKept safe from harm
overprotective · free-range · structured · regimented · curfew · rules · punishment · reward
Formal education received
- homeschoolingFamily-directed academic instruction
- tutoringIndividual academic guidance
- literacyAbility to read, write
- learningGaining knowledge gradually
academic · secular · boarding school · private school · curriculum · extracurricular · homework · teachers
Exclusive right or benefit
- affluentHaving abundant financial resources
- working-classManual laborers as group
- povertySevere lack of resources
- wealthAbundance of valuable resources
middle-class · disadvantaged · opportunity · resources · access · stability · insecurity · neighborhood
development
Progress toward maturity
- childhoodLife's earliest phase
- adolescenceTeenage developmental stage
- maturationProcess of becoming complete
shaping · conditioning · influence · experiences · milestones · foundation · impressionable · formative years · socialization · learning
caregiving
Attending to dependents
- guardianshipLegal care of another
- motheringCaring for children
- fatheringMale role in procreation
discipline · guidance · supervision · custody · mentorship · sheltering · protection · support · boundaries · permissive
household
Domestic unit of residents
- siblingsFellow offspring
- parentsMother and father
- grandparentsAncestors once removed
relatives · extended family · blended family · adoptive · foster · nuclear family · multigenerational · kinship · home life · family dynamics
ethics
Study of right conduct
- valuesPrinciples held worthwhile
- virtueMoral goodness or merit
- conscienceInternal moral sense
principles · integrity · honesty · responsibility · empathy · compassion · fairness · respect · discipline · character
traditions
Long-established customs passed down
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- valuesPrinciples held worthwhile
beliefs · rituals · language · religion · ethnicity · identity · ancestry · nationality · community · ceremonies
strict
Rigorous, without flexibility
- lenientTolerant of faults
- permissiveTolerant, lacking strictness
- authoritarianFavoring absolute control
sheltered · overprotective · free-range · structured · regimented · curfew · rules · punishment · reward · expectations
schooling
Formal education received
- homeschoolingFamily-directed academic instruction
- tutoringIndividual academic guidance
- literacyAbility to read, write
learning · academic · secular · boarding school · private school · curriculum · extracurricular · homework · teachers · mentors
privilege
Exclusive right or benefit
- affluentHaving abundant financial resources
- working-classManual laborers as group
- povertySevere lack of resources
wealth · middle-class · disadvantaged · opportunity · resources · access · stability · insecurity · neighborhood · rural
- familymother, father, parents, siblings, parent
- parentingchild, mom, children, kids, childcare
- biographybirth, death date, autobiography, life story, biography
- backstoryorigin story, origin, past, background, history
- influencesparents, mentors, teachers, friends, peers
- life storyautobiography, memoir, early years, childhood, memories
upbringingadulthood
State of being grown
maturity · old age · senescence · independence · middle age
upbringingformal education
Systematic study in institutions
schooling · vocational training · professional training · book learning · classroom instruction
upbringingneglect
Failure to provide care
abandonment · abuse · mistreatment · deprivation · maltreatment
- religious upbringingYouth shaped by faith
- privileged upbringingChildhood of wealth, opportunity
- spiritual upbringingFaith-centered child-raising
- Catholic upbringingFormation in Roman faith
- moral upbringingTraining in right conduct