The Different Types Of Parenting Styles

Being a parent is both exhilarating and exerting in equal measure. You swing from having a very tender moment with your children to yelling about the toys on the floor like a lunatic. While the general thrust of being a parent is relatively constant, the children themselves are not. Children are unique in their mannerisms, personalities, and bents. The same way we as adults can interpret one thing in diverse ways is the same way our children are wired to be. They all need nurturing in different ways that best speak to their individuality. Answering the question "What are the four types of parenting styles?", will help you to evaluate yourself and hopefully, make you a better parent.

What Are The Four Types Of Parenting Styles?

How you bring up your child will go a long way in dictating who they eventually grow to become and how they view the world around them. You can opt to be harsh and not give them room to air their views or move to the other extreme where you give them too much latitude. The best approach is one that combines discipline and firmness with care, warmth, an intimate relationship and an understanding of your child's nature. The implication here then is you need to be aware of how you were brought up, how you parent your children, and the relationship between the two to determine whether you are doing the best job or if there is room for improvement. In the 1960s, clinical and developmental psychologist Diana Blumberg Baumrind identified a category of four different types of parenting techniques that describe common approaches parents use to raise their children.

We shall discuss each of them in detail now.

Authoritarian

Authoritarian parenting is bringing up children in an environment where there are strict rules they must obey without question. Obedience is taken as a must and any deviation results in instant reprimand. The parents enforce rules and structure but they rarely, if at all, have a relationship with their children. The underlying principle of this style of parenting, as stated, is a demand for total obedience without question. Whenever the children question the guidelines set for them, they are often met with "Because I said so!" Such parents need to remember it is much healthier for children when they know why they are being asked to obey the rules set for them. Dialogue coupled with discipline will yield better fruit than unquestioning fealty. Parents in such a situation need to temper their harshness with some warmth and nurturing to be more responsive to their young ones. Children raised in this manner develop relatively poor social skills, have low self-esteem, will be prone to associating obedience to love and may battle with depression and anxiety.

Continue for the details on the next primary type of parenting style now.