Chapter 1

Chapter 1
Introduction
I. Background of the study
Research says that “parenting style has been found to predict a child’s well-being” since the kind of development style that parents use influences their child’s “social competence, academic performance, psychosocial development, and problem behavior” (Darling, N., 2012). This is why parents play such a huge role on their children’s development. They are the ones who mold their kids into the person that they want them to be. Every parent wants their children to have the future that they desire for their kids that’s why they come up with different parenting styles. Authoritarian parenting style is one of the parenting styles used by parents who are highly demanding and less responsive towards their children. They give great emphasis to “compliance, conformity, parental control, respect for authority, and maintaining order” (Benson, J., 2010). This means that authoritarian or strict parents usually give controlled and tough measures to discipline their kids. They are highly demanding which denotes giving many orders to their children and limiting them to many things. Strict parents are also less responsive to their kids. They sometimes forget to let their children speak out their minds. This is the reason why their kids have poor communication with their parents and tend to develop behavior problems. (Markham, L., 2013). On the contrary, Simon Rego (2012) stated that children of authoritarian parents can also create positive influences such as “academic success, positive peer relationship, minimal delinquency, etc.” This may result from the limitations that they give to discipline their children. They frequently refuse on many of their kids’ activities because parents think that it’s their way of protecting them whenever they are away from their kids. The said statements above just shows that authoritarian style of parenting can create both negative and positive effects on a child’s development depending on their level of strictness. Adolescent stage is the period of life where teenagers start finding themselves and figuring out many things. It is a “period of exploration.” (Omotoso, O., 2007). Teenagers get engaged to many new things because this is where they discover life and they begin to search for who they really want to be. Some parents most likely misunderstand their children’s change in behavior once their kids get into the adolescent stage. This is where their parenting control gets tough since they begin thinking that adolescence is the stage of temptations and influences. Teenagers can also misinterpret their parents’ over-protectiveness. Joseph Lao (2013) said that teenagers with authoritarian parents are “likely to snap their emotional bonds with their parents at an early age.” They start developing misunderstandings because of conflicting point of views that causes dysfunctions in their relationship. The kind of parenting style that parents use can either give positive or negative effects to children. This research is conducted to give ideas about the fallouts of having strict parents to teenagers. It is important for the family to know the right actions to uphold a strong relationship.
II. Statement of the problem Having knowledge about the effects of being too strict on your children can be useful for the family to have a harmonious rapport. As we go on with this research about the fallouts of having strict parents to teenagers, we will be able to find the answers to these following questions:
1. Why do some parents prefer the authoritarian style of parenting?
2. What are the positive and negative effects of parents being strict on teenagers?
3. How can teenagers cope with strict parents?
4. Do authoritarian parents create more delinquent children or more disciplined and successful kids?
III. Significance of the study Conducting a research about the fallouts of strict-parenting to teenagers is substantial since it can give the readers some ideas about the positive and negative effects of being strict or too strict to children. Knowing these effects can help parents prevent their children in becoming delinquents and rebels. It is in the nature of children to be curious. “They may take things apart to see how they work, not to annoy parents.” (Richardson, D.) Parents should understand that their kids are growing. They should not limit them to most things; instead, they can act like a guide as their children learn. By doing this, teenagers will learn to understand their parent’s motives on being strict. Once they learn how strictness affects their relationship, it will be easier for the family to speak out what they need to say and to listen to each other’s opinions. This will lead them to having better communication in the family. “It is through communication that family members are able to resolve the unavoidable problems that arise in all families.”(Peterson, R., 2009) This research benefits the society especially the family, its basic unit. Studying this research can help teenagers in understanding the essence of parental control for their future. It can also help parents to know the right level of demandingness and responsiveness in raising their kids. By conducting this research, families will not just learn to be careful on their ways of nurturing each member, but most especially, they will develop a better communication and understanding with everyone in the family for a healthier relationship.