What Are The Types Of Parenting Styles?

The way a child is brought up can have lasting effects on everything from her physical health to her feeling of self-worth. It is vital to establish a parenting style that encourages healthy growth and development because your interactions and discipline of your child will influence her for the rest of her life.

So, Exactly, What Is a Parenting Style?

Parenting strategies currently employed in psychology owe a great deal to the work of Diana Baumrind, a developmental psychologist who taught at the University of California, Berkeley in the 1960s. Maccoby and Martin made important tweaks to the concept in the 1980s, which aided in its development. Scientists studying children's development have long wondered how parents may make a difference in their offspring's lives. Although there may be some correlation between a parent's behaviours and their child's outcomes, this is not easy to prove.

Despite growing up in very different environments, children can have strikingly similar personalities. But it's possible for siblings raised together to end up very different people. Despite these challenges, studies have shown a correlation between parental engagement and kids' outcomes. Some studies have shown that these differences continue into adulthood.

Different Types of Parents

Psychologist Diana Baumrind conducted research on more than a hundred preschoolers in the 1960s. With the help of naturalistic observation, interviews with parents, and other research methods, she uncovered fundamental components of parenting. This includes things like how kids are taught to behave, how much emphasis is put on independence and responsibility, how accessible adults are, and how simple it is to have such conversations. According to Baumrind's proposal, there are three main ways in which parents can approach their responsibilities. Maccoby and Martin later expanded on their research to suggest a fifth parenting approach. How they affect kids' actions differs.

The Parental Demand for Total Control

Would any of these descriptions fit you?

• Seemingly, you are of the opinion that children should be seen and not heard.
• When it comes to setting standards, you take a "my way or the highway" approach.
• You could care less about how your child feels.

You might be an overprotective parent if you can relate to any of the above. Children raised by authoritative parents are expected to obey all household regulations. The infamous statement "Because I said so" is commonly used as a response by authoritarian parents when their children question their authority. They have their hearts bent on following orders without question and are unwilling to negotiate. A further illustration is that they forbid kids from engaging in any kind of problem-solving activity.

Instead, adults set standards and enforce consequences without taking kids' points of view into account.

Parental authoritarianism is associated with a greater prevalence of physical discipline. Instead of encouraging children to reflect on their actions and develop as people, they make them feel horrible about who they are. Adult rule-following is more common among the offspring of severe, authoritarian parents. However, they must pay a price in order to submit. Children of authoritarian parents often suffer from low self-esteem because they aren't encouraged to share their ideas.

Another possibility is that they become hostile or irritated. They are unable to see beyond their feelings of anger at their parents and consider new ways of addressing the issue. As a defence strategy against their harsh treatment, children of authoritarian parents may learn to lie convincingly.

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Pros and Cons of Authoritarian Parenting

Pros

Many believe that strict parenting is the best kind of parenting. Your kid may be more motivated to succeed if you set clear limits for them.

Cons

There are downsides to using an authoritative style of parenting. Research from the University of New Hampshire in 2012 found that children of authoritarian parents were more likely to engage in:

• Not acknowledge their parents' authority
• Tend to participate in antisocial behaviours (including smoking, dropping out of school, and using alcohol as a minor) at higher rates than children raised by parents who use other parenting methods.

Authoritarian parenting has been linked to increased rates of depression and poor academic performance in children.

Remember that kids will be kids, and that even in the most authoritarian of households, there will likely be moments of defiance. This might cause tension between the parents and the youngster.

Authoritative Parenting

Is there a statement here that describes you?

• You clearly care very deeply for your kid and put forth a lot of work into building and sustaining a strong bond with them.
• You justify your regulations by giving examples and explanations.
• You set limits and provide punishments, but you also take your child's emotions into account.

You might be a strict parent if you've ever uttered any of the above. Authoritative parents set limits and use discipline when necessary, but they also listen to their children and take their ideas and suggestions seriously. Parents can show they care about their children by acknowledging their feelings while making it clear they are still in charge.

Authoritative parents prioritise preventing behavioural problems from ever developing in their children.

In addition, they use praise and rewards to motivate good behaviour.

Researchers have shown that kids whose parents are firm leaders have a better chance of becoming mature adults with strong convictions and identities of their own.

Success in life is more likely for kids who are raised with strict guidelines and high expectations. They are better equipped to solve issues and assess the risks associated with various courses of action on their own.

Pros and Cons of Authoritative Parenting

Pros

Responsible parents give their children a safe and loving environment at home. It's because of this that your kids will encounter these things:

• Raise your overall psychological score.
• Improve your health and see improved outcomes.

The results of a 2012 study imply that children whose parents use authoritative parenting approaches are more likely to grow up to be confident, successful adults.

Adolescents whose parents employ authoritative parenting approaches are less likely to participate in dangerous behaviours, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

• Excessive drinkers
• Engage in sexually hazardous activities
• Take a violent stance

Cons

Although experts agree that authoritative parenting is the most effective method, they also acknowledge that it is time-consuming and taxing on the parent-child relationship. Also, it's sometimes essential to make adjustments to the rules, which can be frustrating for everyone involved (especially the kids and their parents).

Examples of Authoritative Parenting

• You and your now-16-year-old child decide that Saturday night's curfew of 10 o'clock is too early and settle on midnight as a more reasonable limit.
• Your youngster puts in extensive study time but still manages to get a D on a history test. You've learned to put aside your anger and praise your child for things like his or her hard work in the classroom and encourage him or her to discuss ways in which they might improve with the teacher.

Permissive Parenting

What one of these best describes you?

• You establish norms yet infrequently conform to them.
• Because of you, consequences do not exist.
• You think your kid's academic performance will improve if you take a back seat as much as possible.

You might be a lenient parent if any of the previous statements rang true for you. Permissive parents are more lenient than rigid ones. Usually they become engaged only when things have gotten to a critical point. Their attitude is one of tolerance and acceptance, based on the idea that "kids will indeed be kids." There is no guarantee that repercussions will be effective even if they are used.

If a child begs and promises to behave, his parents might give in and let him out of moment early.

A parent with a more permissive outlook is more like a friend than a parent to their children. They encourage their children to come talk to them about their problems rather than actively discouraging them from making poor choices.

A child of a permissive parent is more likely to struggle in school. There is a correlation between a lack of respect for authority and standards and undesirable behaviour. They can say they're depressed and lack confidence. There is a correlation between a child's consumption of processed foods and the development of health issues like obesity, and parents who are more permissive tend to struggle with setting limits on their children's intake of these foods.

Cavities are more common in children of permissive parents because they are less likely to insist that their child engage in healthful routines like brushing his teeth twice a day.

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Pros and Cons of Permissive Parenting

Pros

Everyone knows that parents that are more lenient are kinder and more loving than the average. Many of these parents' children report being "very happy" with their outcomes despite the fact that experts do not encourage their parenting style.

Cons

Being a kid means engaging in all manner of mischief. Whether or not a child might get into even more trouble in a looser household is highly situational. According to research released in 2016, permissive parenting is associated with increased stress and lower mental health in young adulthood.

Permissive parenting has been linked to an increase in childhood obesity and dental problems in other research. In 2019, scientists showed that children of more permissive parents were significantly more likely to be bullied. Most bullies had upsetting upbringings.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, parents who allow their children to drink have a child who starts drinking at an earlier age.

Examples of Permissive Parenting

The foundation of permissive parenting is twofold: you are not in charge, and you don't care to be. And don't worry about anyone getting mad at your kids if they wreck the house. One could argue that this approach to education is more effective than simply dictating rules.

• What, you want to give your sixth grader the freedom to skip school whenever they please? A reasonable conclusion would be "Well, they chose to make."
• When you check your teen's room, you find a bottle of alcohol, and you know he's been drinking. As much as you'd like your kids to make wiser choices, you realise you can't make them.

Uninvolved Parenting

What do you think of these assumptions? Do you agree with any of them?

• No matter how busy you are, you never ask your child about their day at school or what they have to do for homework.
• Most of the time, you have almost no idea where your kid is or who she's with.
• You are not a particularly hands-on parent.

You might be an absentee parent if you frequently make statements like the ones listed above. Inactive parents risk missing out on their children's most formative years. The norms tend to be relaxed. It's likely that today's youth aren't getting the necessary encouragement, love, and guidance from their parents. High expectations are common among the children of parents who do nothing to aid in their development. They don't make much of an attempt to supply even the most fundamental needs of youngsters. Even in the best of households, neglect may happen.

Disorders of mental health and substance abuse can leave parents unable to give consistent physical and emotional care for their children.

When parents aren't involved, it's typically because they don't understand how their children grow and develop. Sometimes they have other things on their minds, like keeping the family together or paying the bills. Children whose parents aren't engaged in their lives are more likely to struggle with low self-esteem.

Generally speaking, they don't do very well in school. As a group, they have low levels of contentment and display a troublesome pattern of behaviour.

Pros and Cons of Uninvolved Parenting

Pros

Despite the fact that youngsters are resistant and may become more independent out of necessity, there is no proof that this method is helpful. The children of neglectful or disinterested parents typically fare poorly.

Cons

Research published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies in 2019 shows that children who are neglected are more likely to exhibit the following characteristics:

• Those who have difficulties managing their emotions are more likely to experience depression.
• Struggling academically
• Have problems making friends, retreat from social situations, and constantly worry.

Examples of Uninvolved Parenting

• Whether or not your kid has completed their homework is of little importance to you.
• You're leaving your four-year-old in the car while you go to the store.