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While authoritative parenting is the metaphorical holy grail of raising kids well, other styles don’t fare as well. For example, authoritarian parenting cuts out a lot of the warmth and communication at home while focusing almost exclusively on strict rules and regulations.
There’s an expectation for kids to follow their parents’ demands without question. This can lead to disciplined kids, but the downside includes potential self-esteem issues, anger problems, or a propensity towards lying.
Permissive parenting is the opposite of the authoritarian approach: these parents see their children more as their friends. They can be incredibly supportive and loving, but this comes at the expense of most (if not all) rules and expectations at home.
These parents are super forgiving and extremely lenient, and their children tend to have issues with authority figures in the future. Furthermore, they might also develop health issues, as permissive parents rarely interfere in their lives to offer guidance.
The worst of the four styles is uninvolved parenting, which essentially means parents not acting like parents in any shape or form. There are no rules at home. There’s barely any love or warmth to be found. And the adults at home are simply not present, whether due to personal issues or work. Kids who grow up in these households tend to be hyper independent, but they’re also often unhappy, have behavior problems, do poorly academically, and have trouble maintaining relationships.
Which of these parenting memes made you chuckle the most, dear Pandas? Which ones did you find to be the most reliable? What, for you personally, have been the biggest upsides and challenges of becoming a parent?
What advice would you give anyone who’s completely new to all of this and feeling a tad overwhelmed? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
