Adultism and parenting: Challenges for the effective implementation of children’s rights in the Brazilian context

This article examines adultism in Brazilian parenting practices, highlighting its impact on children’s rights. Adultism can be understood as a form of structural oppression that naturalizes adult power, leading to intergenerational hierarchies and punitive parenting practices. The text argues that traditional Brazilian parenting models, often authoritarian and punitive, neglect children’s agency and participation in family life, despite legal advancements like the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (Brasil, 1990). Drawing from childhood studies, it advocates for an ethical and relational approach to parenting that challenges authoritarian moral discourses and promotes democratic participation and the full realization of children’s rights.