Understanding Parenting Styles – Which is the best method?

Your parenting style can affect your child in more ways than you think, from their basic self-esteem to their academic success and relationship with their peers. Before sticking to a parenting method, ensure that your chosen path supports healthy growth and development, enables interaction with parents and child and gives space for discipline and love. There are four common types of parenting styles: authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved. Over the years, new parenting styles have been introduced, including free range, conscious parenting and more. However, today’s article will discuss the main four parenting styles and how each can affect your child and their future successes.

Authoritarian Parenting

Authoritarian parenting involves strict rules, obedience, and discipline. Parents who choose this method hold high expectations for their children. The moment a child does not follow the guidelines, they have no issue punishing them.
In this parenting style, the parents mostly make the decisions. Children rarely get a say in the decision-making process. This parenting style is far from nurturing or lenient; the rules are set in stone, and there’s little space for a child’s opinion.

Authoritarian Parenting and Its Affects on Children

Authoritarian parenting results in well-behaved children at home, but in class and with friends, these kids tend to be rebellious. Children who were raised with this method of parenting will often have problems with social skills, will be indecisive, and will suffer from low self-esteem. Additionally, they may also have anger management issues, aggression and often depression.

Permissive Parenting

The permissive parenting method is lenient, forgiving, and understanding. Permissive parents step in when there’s a serious problem and are more of their child’s friend than a parent. Discipline is not a strong suit in this parenting style, and when consequences are given, they are often not followed through.
An example would be taking away screen time for a day, but parents will give in after the child begs and pleads. We would call this method of parenting the polar opposite of strict.

Permissive Parenting and its Affects on Children

Due to permissive parenting’s leniency, children have high standards and expectations. They are used to getting what they want, and because of that, they have more behavioural issues as they have difficulty abiding by rules and restrictions.
Permissive parenting includes other downsides, such as a lack of responsibility and decision-making issues; children tend to get angry and agitated quickly. They lack independence and accountability, and they often struggle academically.
Kids who are raised with this parenting style feel entitled and selfish because they are always given what they want. As a result, schoolwork becomes an issue because they may refuse to put in the time and effort necessary to succeed.

Authoritative Parenting

Authoritative parenting is known as the gold standard of parenting. This style is a mix of rules, boundaries, and freedom for children to make decisions. In the authoritative parenting style, parents focus on validating their children’s feelings but also draw the line of who’s in charge.
Authoritative parents will devote time to preventing behavioural issues before they spark. Discipline is usually achieved through positive strategies such as offering rewards and compliments, which help to reinforce positive behaviour.
Mistakes are viewed and acknowledged as a learning experience. Amidst the warmth and love they show their children, they also instil responsibility and discipline.

Authoritative Parenting and its Affects on Children

Children raised with this parenting style are often successful, confident, and happy. They are able to make proper decisions and evaluate the safety or risks of certain situations on their own, leading to high academic rankings, self-esteem, and confidence.

These kids are more likely to have loving and close relationships with their parents. They tend to be responsible and can control their anger. Additionally, their nurturing relationships with their parents allows them to express their emotions clearly when needed.

Uninvolved Parenting

Uninvolved parenting style is simply a parenting method in which children are ignored. Children receive little to no guidance and barely any attention from their parents. Rules and expectations are not put into place; essentially, parents don’t know much about the child’s day-to-day life.
Uninvolved parents have a high expectation that children raise themselves. They have minimal information regarding their children’s development. Their neglectfulness isn’t always on purpose. Parents with mental health problems or other severe sicknesses may not be able to care for their children as needed.

Uninvolved Parenting and its Affects on Children

Children are often in a bad state without parental guidance, involvement, or advice; children who were raised with this parenting style will often be rebellious, have low cognitive empathy, have low self-esteem, and so on.
These children will get into trouble at school or with the law, and they will refuse to bond or build connections with other people due to their lack of connection with their parents.

Closing Thoughts – Parenting Styles

Parenting styles affects children behaviour, success and future relationships.
The authoritarian parenting style leads to indecisive kids who have trouble socialising and managing their anger. A permissive parenting style leads to irresponsible kids who lack independence and have trouble succeeding academically. The authoritative style is most often linked to positive behaviours, confident children, self-esteem, and more. Lastly, uninvolved parenting leads to children with myriad issues due to the lack of support and guidance at home. Before deciding on a parenting method, educate yourself on the different approaches. If you notice that you have adopted a method you are not fond of, there are steps you can take to change your approach gradually.

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