There are 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.
Let's examine this more closely.
- 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 know,are generally considered to have an unhappy nature about them.Boys generally exhibit hostile behavior when dealing with frustration,whereas girls tend to give up easily when faced with difficult situations.Both the boys and girls however,tend to perform better in school due to their disciplined
upbringing.
- 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.These parents, though lenient,are more aware and show a commitment to engage with their children.
- 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 and more adept in their social skills.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.
- 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 most likely to be irresponsible and more often neglect their children.
Which group do you refer yourself to? Looking forward to your comments :)
