Types Of Parenting Styles.

 

There are just as many parenting styles as there are a number of parents. Experts believe the parenting styles fall into 4 different and identifiable styles: authoritarian, indulgent, authoritative, and uninvolved. The following article offers some insight to those involved in the wonderful world known as Parenting, we are gonna talk about the four Types Of Parenting Styles and how they affect your child’s life and behavior. Ready? Let’s begin.

Types Of Parenting Styles.

The first parenting style is that of the Authoritarian parent.

These parents are like army commanders. They prefer to issue commands and orders to their children and fully expect their children to carry out their orders without questioning them. Authoritarians do not welcome nor appreciate any feedback from their children. They live by set and defined rules in a structured environment.

• These children as we now know, are generally considered to have an unhappy nature about them.
• They suffer of low self-esteem due to lack of support.
• Lack of self-discipline.
• Highly insecure. The emotional needs of children are not met, as the parents hardly provide love and warmth to their them. This makes the kids insecure.
• Poor social skills: Low esteem results in poor social skills as the child has difficulty interacting with people in social settings. They find it hard to express their feelings.
• Boys generally exhibit hostile behavior when dealing with frustration, whereas girls tend to give up easily when dealing with difficult situations.
• Both the boys and girls however, tend to perform better in school due to their disciplined upbringing.
• Children of authoritarian parents are forced to do things they do not like. As a result, they turn out to be aggressive when they reach their adolescence. They have a hard time controlling their anger and resentment.
• They usually suffer with anxiety, depression, obesity.
• Lack of creativity.

Benefits of Authoritarian parenting style.

• Authoritarian parents emphasize on discipline, rules, and consequences.  This trains the children to behave well and be disciplined.
• Children become used to following the rules and they never think about doing ‘wrong’ things. Therefore, they become responsible.
• Authoritarian parenting focuses on the safety of the children. This protects the children from bad company and wrong decisions.
• Authoritarian parents are structured. They have plans, rules, and instructions for everything and their children know what to do to reach their goals.
• The children know about the consequences of failure. As they get used to doing things right it becomes a habit and drives them to success.

The second parenting style is the Indulgent parent.

These parents are generally lenient. They allow a variety of behaviors by their children that some would describe as immature. Essentially, they let the children look after themselves and avoid confronting them at all costs. Indulgent parents may also be described as non-directive or democratic. Non-directive parents are known to parent by default, that is, by taking virtually no action in parenting of their children. Democratic parents, though lenient, are more aware and show a commitment to engage with their children.

•  Indulgent parents will try to give their children all they need or want, thinking they are supportive. This sets up a false reality for the child going forward in life.
• These children don’t learn about self-discipline or make good decisions about time management.
• They are unaccustomed to listening to an adult in authority. That makes it difficult for them to follow rules at school, therefore, they become resentful of the school situations.
• Since these children are given no expectations, they are also more likely to engage in risky behaviors, including underage drinking and drug use. They have no fear of their parents disciplining them for such toxic behaviors.
• They haven’t learned to control their emotions in productive ways because they are used to getting whatever they want.
•  The children of parents who are indulgent are more likely to procrastinate on homework and school projects.
• They never develop the skills to handle problems, and when they reach an age where they need to do things on their own, they have no idea how to.
• Another big problem with parenting that’s indulgent. By not creating and enforcing rules, you are not teaching your child basic coping skills. We all have to follow the rules and accept the consequences of our actions.

Benefits of Indulgent Parenting.

• Permissive parents are generally somehow nurturing and communicative with their children, often taking on the status of a friend, more than that of a parent.

The third parenting style is that of the Authoritative parent.

These parents are both demanding and responsive at the same time. Authoritative parents while expecting their children to behave in a certain manner, don’t impose their authority and welcome a certain amount of questioning. They demonstrate a combination of assertiveness coupled with the ability to respond to their children’s feedback.

• These children appear to be more lively and have a happier disposition about them.
• Their self-confidence is more developed they seem to be more sure of their abilities.
• These children also show better emotional control.
• Gender stereotypes are also less of an issue with authoritative parents, as they tend to be more open minded in their outlook towards their children’s behavior, i.e. boys playing with dolls and girls playing with tools.

Benefits of Authoritative Parenting.

• Establish rules and guidelines that their children are expected to follow.
• These parents expect a lot of their children, but they provide warm feedback and adequate support.
• When children fail to meet the expectations, these parents are usually more nurturing and forgiving rather than punishing.
• Baumrind says these parents “monitor and impart clear standards for their children’s conduct. They are assertive, but not intrusive and restrictive.

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Lastly, we look at the forth parenting style known as “Uninvolved Parenting”.

As the name suggests, these parents are simply uninvolved. They are neither demanding nor responsive of their children and they are not interested in any feedback from them. These parents are the most likely to be irresponsible and more often neglect their children.

The effects of uninvolved parenting in the children are:

• Usually anxious or stressed due to the lack of family support from their parents.
• Emotionally withdrawn due to the lack of affection from their parents.
• Fear becoming dependent on other people due to the lack of trust.
• Have an increased risk of substance abuse due to low self-esteem, self-love and self-respect.
• Have to learn to provide for themselves.
• Exhibit more delinquency during adolescence.

Benefits of Uninvolved Parenting.

• While these parents fulfill the child’s basic needs, they are generally detached from their child’s life.
• They might make sure that their kids are fed and have shelter, but offer little to nothing in the way of guidance, structure, rules, or even support.

Related posts you might want to check about Parenting.

How Parents Can Teach Their Children To Live a Healthy Life.

The basics for Baby Parenting.

Positive parenting tips to start practicing today.

How to be a mindful parent.

Final thoughts about the four Types Of Parenting Styles and how they affect your child’s life and behavior. 

Parenting styles are associated with different child outcomes, and the authoritative parenting style is generally linked to the most positive behaviors such as strong self-esteem and self-competence.

As you can see your parenting style can affect everything, from how much your child weighs to how they feel about themselves. It’s important to ensure that your parenting style is supporting a healthy growth and development, because the way you interact with your child and how you discipline, will influence them for the rest of their lives.

Zadi, xo