Being a parent can be the most rewarding experience in one’s life. However, it requires a lot of patience, creativity, time, energy and unconditional love. As you can understand, no matter how old your kid is, you will never be able to say: ‘My work is done here, I’m leaving!’.
As a parent, you will have good and bad days. Another certain thing is that you will be making mistakes. However, you can keep educating yourself and try to prevent possible mistakes.
According to Baumrind’s theory created in the 1960s in California, there are four main parenting styles: authoritative, permissive, neglectful, and authoritarian. Every style has a unique impact on how your kids see themselves and develop into adults. If you are not sure what kind of style you want to have (or you are having right now), here is what you need to know:
Authoritative parenting
Authoritative parents create and maintain positive relationships with their kids. They always tend to explain the reasons behind their actions and rules. Another amazing thing about this style is that parents that apply it always take their kid’s feelings and opinions into consideration.
Also, authoritative parents use positive discipline strategies that include reward systems and praise.
According to experts at www.parentcenternetwork.org, kids who grow up with authoritative parents become responsible and empathetic adults. Also, such kids are more likely to be confident and resistant to peer pressure. As you can understand, this approach to parenting is considered the best one. Psychologists recommended choosing an authoritative parenting style in order to raise happy and successful kids!
Uninvolved parenting
Uninvolved parents usually don’t ask their children about their day at school or their friends. Moreover, they rarely know where their children spend their days and with whom. Such parents don’t have any rules at home, so their kids usually have problems following the rules in adulthood and lack self-control.
In some cases, kids of uninvolved parents also have issues with expressing their feelings and opinions.
Some adults have this approach to raising their children due to their own belief that children can raise themselves. However, every child needs guidance and affection.
It has been proven that kids of involved parents are more likely to perform poorly at school, have low self-esteem, and exhibit behavior problems. That’s why this parenting style is not recommended by psychologists.
Authoritarian parenting
This parenting style is characterized by a great deal of control. Parents who stick to this style usually don’t take their kids’ feelings into consideration. Moreover, they believe that everything should be only like they say. The main rule is ‘my way or the highway.’
The most famous line you can hear from authoritarian parents is ‘because I said so’ since they don’t see any point in explaining their reasons. Moreover, they don’t want their kids to become more independent and let them solve problems on their own.
Also, such parents usually use punishments because they want to make their children feel sorry for what they have done wrong. In case of disobedience, authoritarian parents can become aggressive towards their own children. Other characteristics of authoritarian parenting include strict rules, high expectations and lack of affection.
This parenting style can cause self-esteem problems in kids. In many cases, it also leads to low academic performance, mental illness, poor social skills, alcohol, and drug abuse.
Some studies also show that kids who grow up with authoritarian parents are usually good liars. They will try to do everything to avoid punishments (even in adulthood).
Permissive parenting
Permissive parents don’t want to have any conflicts with their children; that’s why they usually don’t enforce any rules at home. Such parents believe that their kids can learn and develop only when there is little interference from their side. Also, they tend to forgive their little ones no matter what while saying ‘kids will always be kids.’
Also, permissive parenting usually implies having a friend role, not a parent one. The best thing about this style is that parents encourage their children to share their secrets with them.
However, permissive parents never judge their kids’ bad behaviors (which is not always a good approach). Eventually, this parenting model causes poor performance at school.
The thing is that children of permissive parents don’t follow the rules or appreciate authority. Also, they are more likely to have health problems due to the fact that permissive parents allow eating junk food and try not to pressure their kids about good habits such as morning fitness or tooth brushing.
