Final answer:
Brennan's parents utilize a supportive and engaging parenting style that encourages individuality, skill development, and self-expression, often seen in higher-income families aiming to prepare children for white-collar careers.
Step-by-step explanation:
Brennan's parents' approach to raising their children is an example of a family who uses a parenting style that is identified as fostering and accessing a child's talents, opinions, and skills. This style is often associated with higher-income families and involves engaging in analytical conversation, encouraging active questioning of authorities, and developing negotiation skills. The intention behind this approach is to socialize children toward the skills necessary for white-collar employment, as these parents may work in managerial positions or careers that require creative problem solving, therefore they aim to teach their children behaviors that are beneficial in their own professional environments.
This type of parenting contrasts with the "accomplishment of natural growth" approach more commonly seen in lower-income families, where children are given the independence to develop on their own, and the parents may place higher value on obedience and conformity. The case presented in the question suggests an environment that champions individuality, comfort in self-expression, and participation in household decision-making, reflecting a modern, perhaps more affluent family setting that supports the development of a child into an individual poised for a career in a sophisticated work environment, and allows more freedom in defining roles and challenging mainstream notions of family and societal norms.