With a substantial presence, the role model of responsible parenthood shapes the perceptions of parenthood in Germany. On the one hand, this model includes the principle of support, i.e. children should be intensively accompanied as they grow up, thus, they do not grow up “on their own”. The dimension of this model meets with broad individual approval and is also frequently perceived in society. It connects the most diverse types of parents and is perceived as a social claim to parents. In summary, we can speak of a model that is strongly embedded in society. On the other hand, there is the rule of mothers being sacrificially close to their children, rejecting external care for children under three and demanding that their own needs be left behind those of the child. This model dimension differs both between individual and social levels and between single social subpopulations. The claims are perceived primarily as social expectations, which, however, are mostly rejected at the individual level. Parents who are mainly in favour of the principle of support represent the largest group, followed by parents who would also prefer childcare within the family to third-party childcare. The two extreme types, i.e. parents who have an extremely distant attitude towards the model of responsible parenthood and those who affirm it in all its aspects, are also well represented.