What The Science Says About The Most Popular Parenting Styles

The role that parents establish in the family framework and the way in which they relate to their children, as well as the values ​​that they transmit to them, is crucial for the development of children and adolescents

The fascinating and not always easy path of raising and educating children is conditioned by multiple factors . Broadly speaking, we would have, on the one hand, genetics and everything that every human being carries "as standard" and, on the other, the influence of the environment . Today we talk about parenting styles, what they are and how science says they influence the development of children.

Best CBSE Schools in Coimbatore

What are parenting styles and what do they consist of?

Although we are born with particular basic characteristics, the environment also plays a fundamental role in the development of the person . Thus, during childhood and adolescence, the role that parents establish in the family framework will be crucial for the development of children and adolescents .

We call the way we relate to them parenting style . This way of relating would include how we transmit our principles and values ​​to them, as well as attitudes, roles and habits as those responsible for their care and safety.

Given that not all parents relate to our children in the same way, could we establish a classification depending on the parenting style? What are parenting styles?

What are the four parenting styles?

Let's see what characteristics each of them have and what are the repercussions on the children according to the empirical evidence that we have.

Parenting styles and their impact on child development

1. Authoritarian parents

They are demanding and severe parents . They tend to behave in a rigid way to control the behavior of children in such a way that they are inflexible in complying with the rules .

For these fathers and mothers , discipline, obedience and authority are essential , so they impose rules that must be followed.

They use punishment as a control tool and do not accompany their children emotionally. This fact hinders the creation of affective bonds .

 

The children of authoritarian mothers and fathers have low self-esteem, are insecure and have low emotional intelligence .

They learn that power and demand are priorities and they behave submissively when there is an external power, but when that external power is not present , self-control problems and even aggressive behavior appear. Evidence suggests that this parenting style promotes aggressive behavior in sons and daughters .

CBSE Schools in Coimbatore

2. Democratic Parents

These are fathers and mothers who promote dialogue with their children. They encourage their independence by encouraging them to solve problems on their own, but by setting clear rules .

Democratic fathers and mothers take care to listen to their sons and daughters even if they present different opinions and, in addition, they support them on an emotional level .

The control of the behavior of the children is established from norms, dialogue, reasoning and exposition of the expectations that they have of them.

In addition, families that use this parenting style recognize and accept their mistakes and are not afraid to rectify them .

The sons and daughters of democratic mothers and fathers have high self-esteem, confidence and tenacity . They are children who face new situations with confidence and determination . In addition, they usually have good social skills . Having great emotional intelligence , they are able to understand, express and manage their emotions and those of others , being friendly and empathic .

Research on this style concludes that it has positive effects on sons and daughters , increasing their self-esteem, improving educational achievement and level of independence, and reducing behavioral problems

3. Permissive parents

Permissive parents are affectionate with their children, but do not set limits or rules . In the event that there are rules, they are very flexible with them and also with their consequences, so they are not very demanding with boys and girls, and tend to give in to conflicts with them. Their role is more like that of a friend than that of a father or mother.

Sons and daughters are usually cheerful and expressive, but also very immature since they are not used to limits . They can also appear as selfish boys and girls with problems controlling impulsiveness .

Studies say that these children may have higher levels of aggression and delinquent behavior . 

4. Neglectful parents

They are parents who do not get involved in the upbringing and education of children. They do not impose rules or limits and are distant with their children, even ignoring or forgetting the basic needs of the little ones .

Paradoxically, although they do not impose rules, they can exercise excessive unjustified and inconsistent control that disorients children.

 

The children of negligent mothers and fathers, not knowing the importance of the rules, do not comply with them in any area and tend to present behavior problems and have personal and social conflicts .

Best CBSE Schools in Coimbatore

Are new parenting styles emerging?

The observation of parenting styles has led to the appearance in recent years of some new terms that are equal, in some cases, or complement, in others, the four types that we have just described. Terms like tiger parents , helicopter, snowplow, barnyard parents, or attachment parents are beginning to appear frequently in articles on the subject.

Tiger Parents

Thus, tiger parents would resemble authoritarian parents since they expect children to obey, strive for excellence and not talk back.

Helicopter Parents

The term helicopter parents is perhaps one of the best known to all. These are overprotective parents , who do not allow their children to do anything for themselves. They fear for the future of the children as in the case of authoritarian parents, but they also act permissively.


Snowplow Parents

Another parenting style that combines authoritarian traits with permissive traits is the style of snowplow parents , who dedicate their efforts to eliminating obstacles that may arise in their children's lives, although there are practically no studies on the matter.

Pond Parents

The corral parents base their style on fully trusting the children so that, in the first place, they provide them with the basics so that they can handle themselves in different situations and, later, they move away to allow them freedom . In this sense, this parental style can fall into neglect .

CBSE Schools in Coimbatore

Parent attachment

Finally, attachment parents would be those who maintain that children who develop strong bonds in childhood will have happier relationships in the future . The advantage is that they allow the child to experiment and give him security and confidence, but it can also be confused with the permissive style .

What is the best parenting style?

We must bear in mind, at this point, that any classification helps us to order the information, but, in matters of parenting, you have probably already realized that things are not usually black or white . 

Perhaps we need more research to be able to establish an updated and more complete classification of parenting styles, but, while this is happening, we hope we have given you some clues about what we currently know about the most popular parenting styles.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

7 Techniques to Teach Children to Manage Anger

Reasons Why Physical Exercise Improves Children's School Performance

5 Tips to Help Children Manage Anger