In his textbook, Public and Private Families: An Introduction, Andrew J. Cherlindi discusses differences between social classes in how parents raise the children. Social class is the ordering of all people in a society according to their degree of economic resources, prestige, and privilege. All sociologists agree that income and wealth are important factors in determining social class. Social class consists of a pattern of four classes: upper class, middle class, working class, and lower class. In discussing social class and child rearing, Cherlin focuses on the middle, working, and lower classes. The middle class has nice, fixed incomes and lives well above the subsistence level, while the working class has incomes that meet the minimum needs to live a modest lifestyle. The reliability of lower-class families in providing a decent life is questioned because they regularly work in low-paid jobs or are often unemployed (2012:120-124). This article will discuss sociologist Annette Lareau's study on raising children and how generally middle class families use a concerted cultivation approach, while the working and lower classes use a natural growth approach. When middle-class and working-class parents are asked what characteristics children should have, their choices follow their professional position. Middle-class parents are more likely to choose independence, curiosity, and responsibility, while working-class parents are more likely to choose obedience to authority, conformity, and good manners. Blue collar jobs, usually held by the working class, require obedience and conformity, in contrast a successful middle class manager...... middle of paper ...... an approach to actively improve talent, children's opinions and abilities. . Working and lower class families take the natural growth approach to focus on providing love and allowing the child to grow on his own. The result is that middle-class children have advantages in school and later in the job market. They have more trust in authority figures such as teachers; they are more vocal and independent. Raising middle-class children gives them a sense of entitlement to a rewarding daily life. Working and lower-class children are less likely to speak up for themselves and challenge authority. Because of their children's education, they feel like their opportunities are limited. Therefore, the social class one grows up in has a huge impact on their relationships with school, authority and work.