Question

In thinking about child rearing, what parenting style did your parents or guardians use with you? Do you find yourself using the same parenting style with children? What parenting style have you observed friends using? What effects did you see on the child’s personality? Was it consistent with what the research shows? Are there any factors that you feel may have influenced the parenting styles you discussed here?

Answer 1

Parenting or child rearing is a process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. My parents have been very good yet strict to us. They have raised us really well. The parenting style that my parents and now I follow on my kids is Authoritative parenting. The main objectives of this parenting style is listed below:

• It combines medium level demands on the child and a medium level responsiveness from the parents.
• Authoritative parents rely on positive reinforcement and infrequent use of punishment.
• Parents are more aware of a child's feelings and capabilities and support the development of a child's autonomy within reasonable limits.
• There is a give-and-take atmosphere involved in parent-child communication and both control and support are balanced.

My friends share different views on a good parenting style. One of my friends believe in the permissive parenting style. The main features if which are listed below:

• In this family settings, a child's freedom and autonomy are highly valued, and parents tend to rely mostly on reasoning and explanation.
• Parents are undemanding, so there tends to be little, if any punishment or explicit rules in this style of parenting.
• These parents say that their children are free from external constraints and tend to be highly responsive to whatever the child wants at the moment.
• Children of permissive parents are generally happy but sometimes show low levels of self-control and self-reliance because they lack structure at home.