Parenting Styles

Parenting is one of the most difficult things a person can do and also one of the most rewarding experiences.  However, there are times when all parents feel powerless and question the decisions they are making.  Hey, nobody’s perfect but if you find that you are facing some troubles with your child, you may want to look at your parenting style.  There are so many different parenting styles out there and everybody is going to have their own unique parenting style that matches their personality.  However, you may be interested in the different parenting styles and their pros and cons.

Our parenting experts will examine four broad parenting styles.  When taken to their extreme, these parenting styles do not produce great results.  Rather the key is finding the perfect balance between these different parenting styles that you find effective.  Remember that pretending to be somebody that you aren’t is not effective parenting.  By finding a parenting style that you feel comfortable with, you can be certain that you are trying your best when parenting.

One of the most common parenting styles can be described as being an authoritarian parenting style.  We’ve all seen parents like these, ones that are highly controlling and are telling their children at all times how they should behave.  While being an extremely strict parent helps breed discipline and a respect to authority in a child, it can be quiet negative if taken to its extreme.  The downside of an authoritarian parenting style is that it can breed fear in your child and can restrict your child’s impulses and creativity.  Additionally, it can create a boss-worker relationship between you and your child, which you may not want.  However, it is important to have a bit of an authoritarian parenting style in order for your child to learn important human values and respect for others.

On the flipside of the authoritarian parenting style is the uninvolved parenting style.  Much like the authoritarian parenting style, the uninvolved parenting style can be extremely negative if taken to the extreme.  While the benefits of an uninvolved parenting style is that it can breed a friendly relationship between a parent and a child, too many parents just want to be friends with their children, which means neglecting important parental responsibilities.  While an uninvolved parenting style can produce large amounts of self-confidence in a child, it can also lead to children acting crazy and having little respect for others and themselves.

Another type of parenting style is the authoritative parenting style or moderate parenting style.  In this type of parenting style, parents set high limits of how they expect their children to act.  However, unlike the authoritarian parenting style, parents explain rather than just instruct to their children about the way that they act.  In this parenting style, children are able to make mistakes but parents will explain the reasons why they are not allowed to make these mistakes.  This type of parenting style can be described as a tough love parenting style.

The last type of parenting style is the permissive parenting style or indulgent parenting style.  In this parenting style, parents allow their children to create their own schedules and limits.  While this is a great tactic in breeding independence in your child and can lead to a more peer to peer relationship between a parent and a child, it can also lead to misbehavior in your child.  The key is setting some lines that your child cannot cross while still giving them a lot of leeway to act freely.

While all of these parenting styles can cause some problems if they are taken to their extreme, if used in the proper situation, they can be highly effective.  Obviously your parenting style will be determined by the age and behavior of your child.  However, if you find that things are not going so smooth between you and your child, you may want to analyze what your current parenting style is and how you may be able to temper it with another parenting style to get that great balance!