Introduction
Being a parent is one of the greatest responsibilities that one can have. Parenting requires no formal entrance exam or even special conditions for one to enter. Two individual of opposite sex cam met up at any time and decide to become parents. There are thousands of parents all over the world and consequently, it is only natural that they have different parenting styles. The parenting style adopted by parents is dependent on a variety of factors, most of them being environmental and hereditary factors. In terms of how parents treat, they can be classified into three types; authoritative, authoritarian and permissive.
The first type of parent is the authoritarian parent. This is the strictest of the three types of parents listed. They are strict, inflexible and unbending. This parent’s word is the official law to their children. This type of parent feels a huge need to control everything that their child does and do not allow the child to make any self-choices. They set all rules without even explaining some of the reasons behind the setting of the rules. The parents value absolute obedience and demands respect for their children. They feel that they are superior and they try to make it known to their children as often as possible. The child is usually very fearful of this type of parent. They fear going against or contradicting the wishes and desires of their parents because they know that they will be harshly punished. Although these parents may sometimes reward their children, they usually do it as form of bribery to make them do something. Another distinct feature of the authoritarian parents is that they set up very high hopes for their children, some of which they may not achieve. Finally, authoritarian are often insensitive to the emotional needs of their children.
The second class of parents is the authoritative parents. These parents are firm, kind and loving. The parents in this category set realistic boundaries which they expect their children to abide by. The parents are neither overly indulgent nor strict. They essentially strike a credible balance in their expectations in that they are neither too high nor too low. The authoritative parents allow their kids to make age appropriate choices and encourage them to be more responsible as they grow up. They are quick to respond to their children’s needs although they are very keen in assessing their children desires to determine if they should be met. In formulating rules, the parents ensure that they fully explain the reasons behind these rules.
The final class of parents is the permissive parents. Parents in this category are extremely indulgent. These parents are against the imposing of their own will on their kid’s developing personality. Many times, they set rules and guidelines that have no consequences. These parents might even cause their children to avoid even logical or natural consequences to save them from perceived unhappiness or harm. The parents in this category are very kind and loving, but they are prone to frustrations when their children behaviour becomes unacceptable or defiant. In spite of these frustrations, permissive parents are usually very reserved in stepping to cause change in the child’s actions so long as he or she will not be harmed physically. As a result, the children of permissive parents have no discipline whatsoever and even when the parent tries to discipline them; they do not often take it seriously. The parents give in very easily to their children’s desires and try to avoid confrontation with their children as much as possible.
As observed, they are three different types of parents, each having distinct characteristics. However, the best type of parents is the authoritative. This is because the parents in this category are neither too harsh not too lenient. They strike a balance between the two virtues and a result; their children are able to develop quite efficiently.
