Parenting Styles and the Impact They Have
Parenting has a major effect on the development of children into responsible human beings. The way your parents raise you shapes you into the person you are. Therefore, it is important to understand the impact of each style of parenting, and decide which type is best for a child.
There are four main types of parenting. Most parents fall in the middle of two categories on the spectrum, but it’s important to understand what characteristics of parenting are best to embody in order to raise a child who is capable of interacting in society. The first style of parenting is the authoritative parent. These parents are very supportive, and they are also very involved. They set several rules, but they also explain the rules and are willing to negotiate those rules if necessary. They also maintain a healthy, open line of communication which is essential in order to foster good dialogue between a parent and child. Authoritative parents set up a structured schedule for their children such as a bedtime, responsibility for household chores, and well explained household rules. These factors, help children become more responsible and make them better members of society because they have a good understanding of discipline and are usually more motivated to complete tasks and get things done.
The second type of parenting is the authoritarian parent. These parents have high involvement but give very little support. They set tons of rules and expectations without explaining them at all, and this has a very detrimental effect on their children. The children do not feel loved because they are never able to communicate with their parents without fear of being reprimanded. Due to the lack of a support system, the children of authoritarian parents end up with a very low level of self esteem and often find themselves uncomfortable in social contexts while also becoming rather fearful and shy. This makes it very difficult for them to establish relationships later on in their lives.
The third type of parenting is permissive parenting. These parents are very supportive but tend to not get too involved in their child’s life. These parents try to always be on a best friend basis with their child, and because of this, they do not challenge their children’s decisions. This has a detrimental effect on children because they begin to believe that they can always get what they want, which proves to have a very negative impact on their social life. Due to the lack of discipline and structure in their lives, they do not develop proper social skills, and they often become self-centered and clash with authority. This makes it very hard for them to maintain stable relationships later in their life.
The fourth type of parenting is uninvolved parenting. Uninvolved parents are low support and low involvement. Children essentially have to raise themselves, and this has a negative impact on them as they grow up. They have no support system, and they become distrustful and resentful towards others because they haven’t had a stable environment to grow up in. This makes it difficult for them to develop friendships and relationships because they have trouble trusting people.
Most parents fall somewhere in the middle of two parenting styles but wherever they fall on the spectrum, the impact they have on their kids is undeniable. The earliest years of a child’s life are some of the most impressionable years of their life, so fostering loving and supportive relationships is imperative for their psychological and social development.
It is clear that the way a child is raised has a noticeable impact on their identities and relationships throughout their lives. Parents serve as the support system for their children and give them their first experience of what love is. Therefore, it is imperative that parents take special care in how they raise their children, because they are the ones who raise the next generation of leaders of our society.
