“What it’s like to be a parent: It’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever do but in exchange it teaches you the meaning of unconditional love.”
-Nicholas Sparks
Parenting can be quite a task. It has so many levels and phases and this is one job that has completely no breaks. Being a parent is tough, tiring and can drain you out of a lot of things, such as hobbies, interests and vacations even! However be the parenting, there are four basic styles that it can fall into.
Authoritarian parenting– Authoritarian parents are very controlling and show very little warmth. They make their children follow all the parental direction and lead a very strict and disciplinarian life. In this style of parenting, children follow rules which are given by the parents and if they fail they are generally punished. Authoritarian parents are always unable to give the reason for such rules; they always have demands from their children but not very responsive towards them. According to Baumrind, these parents “are obedience- and status-oriented, and expect their orders to be obeyed without explanation” (1991).
Authoritarian parenting styles leads to children who are obedient but they generally rank lower in happiness, self-esteem.
Authoritative parenting- This style of parenting is about setting limits but at the same time there is an emotional bond between the parents and their children. Authoritative parents give a lot of emotional support to their children and they are very cooperative. Though they have set boundaries but they are still open to questions. If children fail to fulfil the expectations, they are never punished instead they are forgiven. Baumrind suggests that these parents “monitor and impart clear standards for their children’s conduct. They are assertive, but not intrusive and restrictive. Their disciplinary methods are supportive, rather than punitive. They want their children to be assertive as well as socially responsible, and self-regulated as well as cooperative” (1991).
Authoritative parenting style lead children to have a happy and successful life in the later run. They are mostly independent, academically successful, socially- accepted.
Permissive parenting- This style of parenting involves parents being very less demanding of their children. Parents are generally involved with their children but they don’t control them. They are more of a friend than a parent and they don’t have much high expectations from their children in terms of maturity and self-control. According to Baumrind, permissive parents “are more responsive than they are demanding. They are non-traditional and lenient, do not require mature behaviour, allow considerable self-regulation, and avoid confrontation” (1991).
Permissive parenting result in children performing very low in academics, they tend to have problems with authority and they generally rank low in happiness and self-regulations.
Uninvolved parenting- In this type of parenting, parents are generally detached from their children, they fulfil the basic needs but there is very less communication between them. There is an emotional detachment from their children. Uninvolved parents have no demands of their children and they are generally indifferent towards them which sometimes leads to ignoring them. In most cases parents who are not involved they tend to do as less as possible for their children or they put the blame on the other parent.
Uninvolved parenting style lead children to often feel unloved and neglected. And the negative feelings can have an impact on the child’s psychological development. The child may not be able to follow any rules or instructions, it is difficult for them to concentrate, they tend to become very aggressive and they are disrespectful to the elders.
Tips that are helpful.
- Listen to your children as it shows how important they are.
- Let your children know that you are there for them every time they need you.
- Acknowledge whatever new thing that children do because they have lot expectation form the parents.
- Be as consistent as possible.
- Be a role model.
- Spend quality time together.
- Show as much affection as possible.
- Delegate responsibilities when required.
- Communicate properly and teach the children different ways of interacting with others.