This article serves as an introduction to a special issue focused on parenting in diverse cultural groups worldwide. Within this editorial, I describe popular culture presentations of parenting practices and discuss these in the context of applicability and generalizability for diverse racial, cultural and socioeconomic populations. I present background on some of the seminal research in parenting, describe the impetus for the special issue and provide a brief overview of the manuscripts selected for inclusion in this special issue of the Journal of Child and Family Studies.