Parents Just Don't Understand

Parents Just Don't Understand

To be a parent is probably by far the biggest responsibility a person can have in life. A child’s future depends mainly on whether or not you have met your parenting obligations throughout their childhood. Looking at Diana Baumrind’s four parenting styles that she developed, I found them to be highly accurate in today’s society. These four different parenting styles will definitely have different outcomes in the child’s future life. In the next few paragraph’s I will explain Baumrind’s four different parenting styles, and how different approaches could affect development:
The first parenting style is the authoritative parents. They are both nurturing and set limits in the child’s life. They may be strict but are willing to bend the rules sometimes too. If the need arises for punishment, they explain to the child why they are being punished as well as maybe asking them, “Do you know why you are being punished?” or “Did you learn anything from this?” This type of parent wants the child to grow up to be responsible and independent. These children will grow up to be strong, successful leaders, as well as very social and outgoing.
The second parenting style is the authoritarian parent. These very strict parents do not seem to have any flexibility at all. I believe this type of parent to be “on a power trip”. Maybe they can’t seem to get anyone else to listen to them so they are going to make the child listen. As the child grows up in an environment like this, they may be very successful in adult life but also very lonely. They would not know how to carry on a relationship or have a tough time socializing. They might be workaholics.
The third parenting style is the permissive parents. This type of parent does not believe in punishment and rules. The child that comes from this type of household will grow up to be disrespectful. They will have no regard to authority. This child is going to struggle in life, possibly with drugs and alcohol or maybe even trouble with the law because the parent perhaps has enabled them throughout life.
The fourth and last parenting style is the rejecting-neglecting parents. These people never should have been parents to begin with. They could be abusive or neglectful or both. I believe that two different things could happen with a child coming from a home like this. One, this child may have a chip on their shoulder and “hate the world” so they turn to drugs and alcohol and maybe even a life of crime, or two, they want to break the cycle and give their own child the home that they never got to experience in life.
When looking back at my childhood, I would have to say that I was lucky in life and got the authoritative parents. There were rules that we had to follow, but there was plenty of nurturing and love as well. My dad would tend to be a little more lenient so I recall my sister and me always going to him and asking him if we could do something or have something. Eventually, they caught on to that and dad would eventually come to say, “Go ask your mother.” With my children, I try to be the authoritative parent most of time. When my children were younger, I think I was more the permissive parent and always saying, “They’re just babies, don’t get mad at them.” I have paid the price for that later down the road, watching my little eight-year-old struggle with discipline and authority. Had I not looked at myself and realized that I was hurting my children more than anything I might have made life very difficult for them. Now, I attend parenting classes and seminars as much as possible. I get something out of every class I attend. I would encourage every parent to do it. After all, you can never know enough when it comes to raising a child.