By Mia Ingui
Making the decision to have children and start a family of your own is one that comes with many responsibilities, and the most important responsibility you will gain is being a parent. There aren’t any special classes or rules on how to be a parent; everyone learns and develops their own parenting styles in their own way. But, if you’ve ever been concerned about your parenting and are thinking about ways to improve how you parent, here are some examples of different parenting styles, and their proven effects on your children.
Authoritarian Parenting: This is considered to be the strictest, least forgiving form of parenting, often described and demanding, but not responsive. Children are allowed little to no response about their discipline and are to respect their parents’ authority. This form of parenting results in almost training children instead of teaching them about how to have respect for their parents and others. Children raised by authoritarian parents are often moody, have low self-esteem, and may struggle later in life with self-discipline and independence.
Authoritative Parenting: Not to be confused with authoritarian parenting, this form of parenting is labeled as demanding and responsive. Parents often discipline their children, but still allow their children to be independent and discuss their needs. Children who grow up with these types of parents are more likely to have a high self-esteem, self control, and success in the classroom and workplace. Parents and children in this parenting style, ideally, have a mutual respect for one another.
Indulgent Parenting: This style of parenting involves loosely enforced rules with lots of nurturing and love. Parents often are described as a friend to their children rather than a parent figure. Children with these kinds of parents have proven to be self-absorbed, disobedient, and demanding.
Uninvolved Parenting: The least successful of the four parenting styles and the one considered to be “undemanding and unresponsive.” Uninvolved parenting has proven to lead children to struggle in nearly all aspects of their lives, including having low-self esteem, disciplinary issues in the the classrooms, feelings of loneliness and unimportance, and a high risk of possible drug or alcohol use and abuse.