Parenting Falls Into Four Major Categories..... What Type Of
Parenting Method Do You Prefer?
by: Ann Marier
Parenting is a great word – one that evokes both immense joy and fear. You
cannot feel the joy without having foreboding thoughts about whether you would
be able to handle the huge responsibility that God has entrusted you with. Can I
be a good parent? This is one of the questions on the top of every parent’s
head; no matter how self-assured they look.
What Parenting Method Is the
Best?
There are four major types of parenting, i.e. (i) uninvolved, (ii)
indulgent, (iii) authoritarian and (iv) authoritative. Though some of these
parenting methods can be learnt and absorbed, it usually happens naturally –
depending upon the innate nature with which the parent is born. Before we learn
and decide which one of these parenting methods is the best, let us understand
each one of them.
Uninvolved Parent
This parenting method is
usually reflected when the parent(s) do not really bother about what is going on
in the life of the child. They provide the minimum necessities and do not bother
about the psychological needs of the child. This type of parent has neither any
demands nor response. The child is an incidental thing in the house.
|
Indulgent Parent
These types of parents are always there ready
to do anything the child wants even before they ask for something. They take joy
from being there all the time and have very few demands if any on the child.
Here you will find two divisions – there are parents who like to consider their
children as their friends and allow them liberties as they grow, and the other
type, which allows the child to do as he/she pleases in the belief, that at the
right time they will grow out of it and become responsible adults.
Authoritarian Parent
This type of parent is dictatorial. The
child has no rights, no capacity to think what is right or wrong for him and
hence, all the decisions need to be taken by the parent. Further, the child
should unflinchingly obey all the rules that they impose. In this type too,
there are two divisions, i.e. parents that recognize and accept certain
boundaries that the child erects with age; and the other is who is overly
intrusive and demanding.
Authoritative Parent
This is the most
accepted parenting method. It involves being both demanding and responsive at
the same time, which in turn keeps the parent in constant touch with the
feelings, ambitions, fears and hopes of the child. This type of parent is like a
rock in the child’s life and at the same time is capable of instilling in him
the core values of life.
Now, look at each of these descriptions and
find out which type you are currently and which areas you want to improve in.
|
|
