Parenting style can be defined as an overall set of practices, attitudes, habits, and strategies that parents might incorporate in raising their children and teaching them new things. Parenthood is a significant journey of growth and learning in which a parent learns new things every day and tries to give their best to the process. Choosing the right kind of parenting style for yourself, and for your child is important to raise your kid into a confident and self-reliant individual.
It is also essential in teaching kids the important values of life and helping them in their academic and extracurricular domains. Parenting style may also encompass how a parent chooses to have conversations with their child and setting up boundaries, while also assigning responsibilities to the child. Different parents might have their subjective approach which may or may not work for other people. Hence, one needs to decide on the right kind of parenting style early on to ensure that the child goes through a seamless process of development.
Here is a look at some of the primary parenting styles and each of their distinctive characteristics.
As per a research paper called Examining the Influence of Permissive Parenting on Student Motivation for Learning, published in 2023, this is a rather relaxed parenting style in which parents give a child the liberty to explore different possibilities while also being highly indulged in the process. While following this parenting style, a parent steps back and lets the child make the major decisions of their life while being a guiding force for them. The parent can extend an extremely nurturing and supportive attitude. This may help a child become more confident and self-reliant. However, a drawback of this parenting style is that a permissive parent may struggle to set boundaries with their child and call them out whenever they're wrong. In such a scenario, it might also become a bit difficult for the parent to make the child follow the rules of the household.
As per a research paper called Authoritative Parenting: The Best Style in Children’s Learning, published in 2022, this is a style of parenting that is followed by parents who are extremely responsible and involved. Such a parent may also establish extremely clear expectations for their child and provide the child with all the needed guidance and information related to achieving their targets. Such a parent may also encourage independence but may choose to always have open conversations with their child to know what's happening in their life. This helps in building an extremely nurturing yet responsive relationship between the parent and the child where both can exercise freedom and share their opinions.
In this style of parenting, the parent might become excessively strict, and even extremely demanding. In such a situation, the child might not receive the needed guidance or information to carry out academic or extracurricular tasks. However, the parents may still expect a lot of output from the child, leaving them extremely pressured. As per The Psychological Impact of Authoritarian Parenting on Children and the Youth published in 2022, authoritarian parent may also take strict measures to enforce rules on the child and make them follow these rules. Due to high expectations but lack of emotional support, the child may feel extremely pressurized and unmotivated.
This is the type of parenting style in which a parent can be extremely uninvolved in the life of a child. Such a parent can be emotionally distant and refuse to provide any kind of guidance to the child related to their life or academics. As per a research paper called, Uninvolved parenting in children with academic delays published in 2020, specific learning disabilities continuous neglect and lack of support may deeply damage a child's self-confidence. Sometimes the lack of involvement can be due to work stress or professional life imbalance from the parents' end. In some cases, the parent may lack the necessary knowledge or resources to guide the child. However, regardless of the circumstances, it may have an extremely negative impact on a child's mind.
This is an extremely versatile approach that takes up all the good aspects of different parenting styles to form a unique yet highly relevant approach. The core idea of blended parenting is flexibility and encouraging finding open-ended solutions. It comes from the realization that no parenting style is perfect, and it's necessary for a parent to constantly rediscover themselves to provide the best possible learning experience to kids. As per a research paper called Effects of the Blended Family on Parenting Styles and Emotional Regulation among Tertiary Students, published jn 2021, parents who uses a blended parenting style is equipped with an extremely flexible technique that caters to the changing requirements of a child. For example, it uses techniques like positive reinforcement, open conversation, empathy, guidance, and letting the child make decisions.
Parenting style can have a significant impact on your child's perception of the world and themselves. Hence, it is extremely important to make careful considerations before following a particular parenting style technique. Each child is different, which is why the requirements and demands can be subjective. Also, as a child grows up, you might see some significant changes in their nature and choices with time. During this time, it becomes essential for the parents to adapt to the changing needs of the kids and understand their emotional and physical needs. Choosing the right parenting style for your child is a continuous process of observation, communication, and extending support to your child.
These are some primary parenting styles that you can commonly find among parents. Each of these has its fair share of positives and negatives. At the end of the day, it is about choosing the one that works for you and your child. It is to remember that the common goal of optimal growth and development of the child can be achieved by coordination between parents and the child. Hence, it is extremely important for both parties to feel equally involved and appreciated in the process.