Being a parent is something that can be a bit tough sometimes. You want to do the best that you can so that your kids will be able to thrive. However, your kids will sometimes act up and do things that will make you mad. You could be trying to get your kids to do their homework, but they’ll want to just keep playing video games instead.
Depending on the type of parenting style that you use, you’re going to react to this situation in different ways. Some parents are more laid-back about things like this, but others are going to be much more strict. Which way is the right way to approach things can be hard to say. What’s important is to find a parenting style that makes sense for you.
Attachment Parenting
For some, attachment parenting is going to make a lot of sense. What is attachment parenting? Well, it’s a parenting style that involves the mother of the children being very attentive to the physical and emotional needs of the kids. Parents that think this style is the best option will breastfeed their kids.
They will also hold their kids more than most other parents. Some even choose to allow their children to sleep in the same bed as they do. Many feel that this style of parenting allows them to develop a very close bond with their kids. However, there are downsides to this parenting method that could make it impractical for many families.
Authoritarian Parenting
One parenting style that could be considered the complete opposite of attachment parenting is authoritarian parenting. When you adhere to this parenting style, you’re going to think that kids should simply do as they’re told.
Instead of being very in-tune with their needs, you’re just going to give them rules to follow. You’ll expect them to do as you say or else there will be consequences.
As you might expect, this type of parenting style is not very emotionally healthy. It doesn’t help kids to learn why they should do certain things. For the most part, you should choose whatever style you think is best for your family. This style is just so unhealthy that it’s hard to recommend it in any way, shape, or form.
Permissive Parenting
Permissive parenting is another side of the coin that you could consider when looking into parenting styles. This is a parenting style where you do set rules, but you’re not going to spend a lot of time enforcing them. It’s a more hands-off style of parenting where you try not to interfere with your children more than you need to.
Essentially, you think your child will grow better if they’re left to learn on their own with only a bit of guidance from you about what’s right and wrong.
Critics of this parental style say that it will lead to kids being too unruly. This can sometimes be the case, but there have been parents who have raised good kids using permissive parenting philosophies.
It might be good to take a slightly permissive attitude to certain things. Being too hands-off could have dire consequences, though.
Authoritative Parenting
Authoritative parenting is significantly different than authoritarian parenting. This parenting style sees you setting rules and explaining why the rules are in place. You spend time talking to your children and nourishing them, but you do have expectations of them. If children act up or break the rules that you’ve set, then there will be consequences.
You aren’t a dictator ruling with an iron fist when you’re an authoritative parent, though. These types of parents take the feelings of their children into account.
Instead of punishing a child and moving on, you’re more likely going to take the time to explain why their actions were young. You’ll do things out of love and try to help your kid grow when they make mistakes.
It’s easy to see why this style of parenting would be appealing. You’re going to be very involved in your kids’ lives, but you won’t be trying to control every aspect of what they do.
Kids will be free to learn and you’ll be communicating with your kids regularly. This might be an ideal parenting style depending on how you view the world.
How Do You Choose Which Parenting Style is Right?
Choosing which parenting style is right involves taking the time to think about the pros and cons of each option. After reading the information above, you should have a pretty good idea of how each style works.
Imagine how a specific approach to parenting would impact your child. You’ll then be able to decide whether that style is a good fit for your lifestyle or not.
You might find attachment parenting to be appealing, but it won’t necessarily be practical in every single way. Perhaps authoritative parenting makes a lot of sense to you, but you’d like to adopt aspects of other parental styles.
You can certainly do that and figure out a way to take care of your kids that incorporates many philosophies. The most important thing is to be committed to helping your kids grow and become fine adults.
Join 25,000+ smart readers—don’t miss out!
