Authoritarian vs. Authoritative Parenting

Authoritarian vs. Authoritative parenting Children do not come with guidelines or instructions. What they do come with is a crucial set of physical and emotional needs that need to be met. To raise children properly, parents duties are not limited to just food, shelter and protection. Parents are largely responsible for their children’s success in life. Parents are required to teach and educate children. They have to shape knowledge and character into their children to prepare them to face the real world. To be successful with this, parents must provide self esteem needs, teach moral and values and provide discipline that is both effective and appropriate. As the generations have changed, many parenting styles have evolved, as well. While growing up my mother was always more of an authoritarian parent. As I have grown up and have children on my own, I choose not to parent with the same parenting methods that she had used. I am more of an authoritative parent. There are great differences in both my mother’s and my parenting styles, such as parental responsiveness and parental demandingness; however the largest disparity is the end result: the children. “Because I said so,” this was a common phrase that was often heard in my house while growing up. My mother, a single mother, working to raise and support five children on her own was more prone to the authoritarian parenting style. Authoritarian parents are characterized by their high demands for conformity and obedience, with little tolerance for discussion of rules. Growing up in an authoritarian household is hard for children. It has been proven by psychologists that these children will grow up and use different approaches to raising their own children. I am an authoritative parent. An authoritative parent is responsive to their children and is willing to listen to questions. When children fail to meet their expectations, these parents are more nurturing and forgiving rather than punishing. My mother made