to assert that "Parent" is a noun not a verb?

[Bogeyface]

AIBU to be pissed off with the concept of "parenting"?

YABU to misuse the word "concept".

YANBU. One of my pet peeves.

I don't know. Could you explain please?

to my mind it is a verb before it is a noun.

when you have children your job is to parent them until they are 18 years old (sometimes older sometimes younger) so they are able to function in the world as an adult.

Google it, you get the definition of parent as a verb before you get it as a noun

It is both and YABU to not know that.

I agree. It is annoying, both grammatically, and conceptually, but I hate the whole modern tendency to turn nouns into verbs. I con't even like "contact" and "impact" used as verbs.

I suppose using it as a verb reminds (some) people that bringing up children should be active and not passive and that parents have the ability to influence and shape the development of their children and that we should all be mindful of that.

It's not enough to just be a parent, you have to be a parent.

I suppose.

But when it's used to be wanky, that annoys me!

Mothering Sunday must really get on your nerves, then.

I can't bear impact as a verb, but can't get worked up about "to parent". Especially as, etymologically, it seems to hail from the 1600s. Or so Google tells me.

I think that you have to accept that it has now crept into the language as a verb and is probably here to stay. I agree that I don't like it, but it doesn't irritate me as much as some other things.

When people use 'parent' as a verb we all know what they mean by it and living language evolves, that's the beauty of it.

Parent is Latin for "they prepare" so it certainly originates from a verb.

The beauty of the English language is that any noun can be verbified without much hassle.

I've checked OED: the earliest citation for "parent" as a verb in English is from 1663.

I agree with you generally about verbing nouns (see what I did there ) but in this case to parent is entirely legitimate in its verb status.

when you have children your job is to parent them until they are 18 years old (sometimes older sometimes younger) so they are able to function in the world as an adult.

I agree completely with this. Too many people want to be a parent, but dont realise it is a verb. It requires effort. It isnt having a cute ickle baby and just sailing through life.

YABU.

But 'parenting' is a concept, it exists. So if you don't call it 'parenting' what should you call it?

Surely a concept is an idea, a theory - once it is reality surely it is no longer conceptual?

I think the problem with the verbing of nouns is that it enables people to forget about the perfectly good verbs that they might have used instead, so they talk or write without really thinking about what they are trying to say. Sometimes it's quite a good idea- until about 1998 there was no need at all to say "texting", but now that we all have mobile phones that can send SMS messages, it would be daft not to.

The trouble with "parenting", IMHO, is that to reduce all the activities and responsibilities of a parent to one verb is ridiculous, and diminishes us all. It's interesting that no-one has attempted to coin the word "childing", (as far as I know), though if some advertising copywriter decided that some brand would sound clever by using it, I'm quite they would.

"with the verbing of nouns" -

It is, obviously, the gerunding of nouns, really.

which is impacting on us...

Parenting takes work and commitment.

Or you could just call yourself a parent and not do any parenting.

I'm a foster carer (note, 'carer') but I'm pretty sure I'm actively parenting all day - 'caring' doesn't really sum it up for me.

Yanbu. "Parenting" is one of my pet hates. Being a parent is fine. Sending a text is fine. Texting makes me want to scream.