GUIDE YOUR CHILD WITH THIS PARENTING STYLE

     I feel like a lot of the time, children are misunderstood within families. Parenting is so crucial for a child's growth, and I think that parents are either too worried that they aren't doing enough to keep their children safe but, in the process, stop the child from learning, or parents may really not be doing enough, allowing the child to run all over the parent. Children are so important. Family is so important. It is definitely not easy raising a child, but there are so many support systems out there whether that be family, friends, or articles online that can help you know how to guide your children. 

    There are three types of parenting styles that Diana Baumrind talked about. There is the authoritarian parenting style which is only a limits relationship without allowing any freedom (can be thought of as a jaw breaker), a permissive or “doormat” parenting style which is a freedom relationship with no limits (can be related to a marshmallow), and an authoritative or “active” parenting style which is freedom within limits parent-child relationship (think of a tennis ball and how there are limits but allow for the ball to bounce and go places). 

    In an authoritarian parenting child relationship, there is a lot of arguing going on. It may seem like the child isn’t listening and is only going against what you say. When parents act like dictators in a relationship using anger or frustration, the child will begin to rebel. A parent should not act as though they have all the power in the world. By doing so, the parent will find themselves in a power struggle causing more stress for the parent and the child.

    In a permissive parent child relationship, parents become like doormats. Children are in a crucial stage of growth from the moment they are born till their twenties. Imagine allowing a child who hasn’t fully developed to make all the choices in their life. That is why parents are supposed to be in their life. To guide their children to figuring out what is right and wrong and the consequences for doing those wrong things. Parents should be active in their child's life. When parents become like doormats, no one is gaining anything from the relationship. 

    The last parenting style is the authoritative style which is the best parenting style that can allow the child to learn within the relationship as well as learn and grow on their own within the limits. In this parenting style, the parents should take a proactive role within the family instead of reacting to a problem after the fact. In this style, there is freedom for the child but it is within expanding limits. I say expanding because the more that the child matures, the more the parents are able to back away, allowing the limits to slowly expand. Respect is earned and I think that really shows in this parenting style. 

    In a short clip called, “Is Your Child Getting Enough Vitamin N” by John Rosemond, it talks about how the word “no” is essential for child growth (2016). By saying “no” as a parent, you are enforcing that objects or treats must be worked for rather than just receiving. A lot of the time, parents may give their child what they want to make them happy, but by doing so, the parent is teaching their child to be ungrateful for things and may be rude the older he or she may get. The child will become more demanding because there are no limits. Children will grow with this mindset not because they worked hard, sacrificed, or did their best for the things that they wanted, but instead whined to their parents, demanded and manipulated others for getting the things that they wanted. By giving in to the child, the parents are showing that something can be had for nothing. By showing a child that things need to be earned, parents are also showing that things need to be taken care of.

References

Rosemond, J. (2016). Is Your Child Getting Enough Vitamin N? PragerU.
https://www.prageru.com/video/is-your-child-getting-enough-vitamin-n.