David Popkin
The three styles of parenting most people fall into are permissive, authoritarian, and authoritative. Permissive parents tend to give into all their children’s demands. They usually don’t have many if any rules. Authoritarian parents make many rules and give no explanation to why these rules exist. The rules created will not be changed under any circumstances. Authoritative is when parents create rules but they are flexible and they are for a good reason. Authoritative is thought to be the best type of parenting. It is efficient and tends to have children grow up to be confident and successful. It is shown that kids who have been raised under and authoritarian parenting style score higher and standardized tests.
I was personally raised with an authoritative parenting style. When I started hanging out with my friends more my parents set a curfew for 11pm. I always thought this was early and ridiculous. They explained their reasoning to me and why they wanted me to be home and I accepted. However sometimes on my friends birthdays or other special nights my parents would extend my curfew by an hour or two. This is a perfect example of Authoritative parenting because it shows they made a fair rule and explained its purpose, but also were willing to bend the rules on occasions. This kind of parenting made me the man I am today. It taught me that rules are important but they are not always set and stone and can be broken.
Another one of my parents rules was do my homework before I played Xbox or watched T.V. This was a rule that i hated but they explained to me that the rule would give me a good work ethic and benefit me later on in my life. They justified the rule and I understood there reasoning so I followed it. Sometimes on special occasions I would be able to play xbox first if I promised to still get my work done in a timely manner. This shows that they had flexibility with their rules. This example is also able to illustrate how they explained the reasoning behind the rule.
I think that examples with my homework and curfew above show that Authoritative parenting is the best kind. I think it prepares the child for the best possible life they can have. Authoritarian parenting is to set in stone and doesnt have the flexibility needed. It is unfair to the child to have many rules that arent explained to them and cannot be changed under any circumstance. Permissive parenting on the other had is to flexible and doesnt have enough rule. Children will grow up not learning to listen and follow rules. They may become spoiled and think they can do whatever they want without consequences. authoritative parenting has a perfect balance of rules and flexibility which is why I think that it is the best
Works Cited
Morin, Amy. “4 Types of Parenting Styles and Their Effects on Kids.” Verywell Family, Verywell Family, 12 July 2019, www.verywellfamily.com/types-of-parenting-styles-1095045.
Cherry, Kendra. “Parenting Styles: How Each Style Impacts Children.” Explore Psychology, 15 May 2018, www.explorepsychology.com/parenting-styles/.
“What Is My Parenting Style? Four Types of Parenting.” Bright Horizons®, www.brighthorizons.com/family-resources/parenting-style-four-types-of-parenting.
I believe that an authoritative parenting style is best. My parents raised my sister and i with this parenting style and thought us how to be independent while still supporting us. I think that this style allows children to grow and become their own person. It is okay to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. If your parents are always telling you what to do and how to do it you will never figure things out for yourself. I have had some friends whose parents used an authoritarian style and it created a tension between them and their parents as she got older because her parents were trying to have control over her every move. I think freedom is important for growth and development.
Hi David,
I really enjoyed your response about different types of parenting styles. Based off of your description, I was able to conclude and understand the three different types of parenting styles; permissive, authoritative and authoritarian. Permissive being the easy going, pushover parent with no rules, authoritative being the “perfect” parent, the one who sets rules and boundaries but works with the child as well, and authoritarian which is the very strict style with an overwhelming amount of rules. I was raised the authoritative way and I am very happy with the way my parents chose to raise me. I feel as if parenting in a authoritative way creates a relationship with your children and sets the tone for “I am your parent but I am also your friend and not your enemy.” I would say that authoritative is the perfect happy medium. No child wants to have a parent who says no to everything and feels trapped because all that does in my opinion is create hatred and sneaky actions. My parents always set rules but gave me freedom as well. For example, my parents always let me go out but always gave me a time frame to be home by. Another example would be my parents gave me a phone at a somewhat young age for safety purposes but took it away from me at bed time. There are many different ways to parent but the authoritative style is the most beneficial way to raise a well rounded kid and still have a healthy relationship between one another.