The way we raise our children has a lasting impact. Parenting techniques can affect a child’s self-esteem, mental health and ability to navigate life’s challenges for years to come. Throughout this article, we will take a look at four different parenting styles, discuss which style has been linked with the best outcomes, and how to move towards parenting that will help our children become happy and successful.
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The 4 Parenting Styles and their Effects
According to researchers, the four parenting styles include:
- Authoritarian parenting involves enforcing rules (often without explanation) and expecting obedience, without taking the child’s input into consideration. There is more emphasis on punishment than discipline and helping them to learn from their mistakes. Those who grow up with authoritarian parents are more likely to experience low self-esteem, anger, or develop depression or anxiety.
- Authoritative parenting is characterized by setting rules and limits, while still taking the child’s opinions and feelings into account. They use tools such as positive reinforcement and exert energy into building a positive connection with their child. There has been shown to be a correlation between authoritative parenting and children who become self-reliant, happy, and successful.
- Permissive parenting is defined by a lack of enforcement of rules or consequences. They tend to take a step back and let the child learn for themselves. This style of parenting is linked with kids who have more academic and behavioral challenges, and may even experience health problems as a result of parents not enforcing healthy habits.
- Uninvolved parenting occurs when a parent does not exert much time or energy into spending time with their child. There is often a lack of rules as well as guidance and attention. There are various reasons in which a parent might be uninvolved, whether they are navigating their own mental health problems, overwhelmed with work or finances, or uneducated about raising a child. Children who have uninvolved parents have a high risk for low self-esteem, behavioral issues, poor academic performance, and experiencing sadness.
Many parents use a combination of these parenting styles in raising their children.
Which Type is the Best?
Research has shown that authoritative parenting is the most effective for raising children who are self-sufficient, responsible, and comfortable expressing their opinions and making decisions. Children who were raised with authoritative parenting have a reduced risk of developing depression, anxiety or engaging in harmful behaviors such as substance use. One study found that even having one authoritative parent can make a significant difference in a child’s life.
Let’s look at some strategies for becoming a more authoritative parent.
5 Tips for Practicing Authoritative Parenting
- Focus on listening to your child and validating their emotions. Allow them to feel heard in expressing their opinions and feelings. Let them know that you value their input, although you are still the final authority. Teach your child it’s okay to feel emotions such as anger and instruct them in appropriate ways of expressing difficult emotions.
- Establish clear rules while giving an explanation. Instead of giving an order ‘because I said so,’ make sure to provide the reasoning so that your child can begin to understand the importance of a certain behavior. This will help to raise their motivation to practice healthy habits and make wise decisions throughout their life.
- Follow through with consequences. If your child misbehaves, it is important to enforce reasonable consequences, and coach them to make better choices in the future. This type of discipline has a drastically different effect than punishment and shame.
- Use rewards to motivate positive behavior. If your child is having difficulties with a specific behavior, you might establish a rewards system in order to help them develop desirable and maintain positive behaviors. You can use technology for parenting to help you out in many ways.
- Spend quality time together. Continuing to nurture a positive connection with your child is crucial to them feeling loved and accepted. Setting aside daily time to be with them can have a drastic impact on their self-esteem and behaviors.
Marie Miguel Biography
Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health-related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.
