This article summarizes a study of the parenting behaviors that men and women from 3 age groups (ages 16-34, 35-59, and 60-93 years) considered to be most important or most detrimental for constructive child rearing. A total of 90 male and 90 female residents in rural northern Minnesota and an equal number in rural northwestern Illinois formed the sample. Subjects assigned each parenting behavior to one of 5 parenting dimensions: maturity, love, communication, discipline, and values. Differences in valued parenting behaviors are reported in terms of gender, cohort, and geographic location. Results indicated a general pattern for all dimensions: members of the middle-aged cohort made changes in response to disagreement with the older generation who had reared them. Members of the young cohort built on and extended the changes made by the generation of the middle-aged cohort. Females tended to emphasize changes that led to constructive parenting behaviors more than males did. The amount of formal education appeared to be positively correlated with constructive parenting. Related materials are appended. (GLR)