In summary, eight themes emerged in children’s descriptions of parental roles: sustenance and
basic care-giving; protection; breadwinning; guidance; authority; emotional support; shared
activities; and facilitating autonomy. These themes highlight the diversity of roles that parents
are expected to perform for their children. Most commonly, children referred to the role of parents
in protecting and fulfilling the basic care-giving needs of children and in providing guidance,
authority and emotional support to their children. While the majority of the themes emerged across
the four age categories, it was clear that the relevance of specific parental roles varied for children
of different ages. This issue is addressed below.