Know the right parenting style for kids. Yes, as parents we are often wondering what is the right parenting style to adopt. Should we be strict with our children? Should we let them take their own decisions? What is the amount of freedom that we can give our children? so on and so forth. The answer to this question is not that simple. The research done by Diana Baumarind, a psychologist and later on by the researcher duo of Eleanor Maccoby and Jacob Martin, was instrumental in the identification of four styles of parenting, which are popularly referred to whenever this topic comes up for discussion.   Let us take a look on the right parenting style for kids at these four types.

First – Authoritarian style

First let us take a look at the authoritarian style. This style, as you may have guessed, is all about the authority of the parents. With a ‘my way or highway’ approach, these parents are all about their opinion. Children find it hard to voice their opinion or share their thoughts with such parents. They tend to grow up with very low self-esteem. Self-esteem is the most vital thing for a human to be sucessfull.

Second – Authoritative style

Then there are the authoritative parenting style. This style is all about having positive communication channels. These parents listen to their children. They are loving and nurturing. However, they also know when to draw the line. The style builds a sense of discipline and responsibility in children. These traits later on help the children to grow up to be confident individuals.

Third – Permissive style

Permissive parents are considered the warmest of all the four types. They are loving and care towards their children. With them however, there are no strict rules that children need to follow. They tend to be lenient by nature. One of the problems with this type of parenting is that it is difficult to inculcate discipline in children. The children of permissive parents often find it difficult to follow rules and become naughty. Learn to deal with a naughty kid.

Fourth – Uninvolved parenting style

Uninvolved parenting, as the name suggests is all about being well, uninvolved. The parents leave it to the child to take his or her own decisions. There is very little communication between the parents and children. Think, How well do you know your child ? Another flip side of this style is that children could grow up without a forming a strong bond with their parents. Children of such parents would often feel unappreciated and could dent their confidence levels.

Combination of the four styles

While we cannot straightjacket any one parenting style to be the ideal or best one, it is broadly agreed that the authoritative style works the best. However, this again is not the be all and end all of the matter. The best approach for parents would be to use a mix of all these parenting styles. For example, if your child has scored good marks in his exams, then you could become a permissive parent for a while and get him his favorite bicycle, which he has been demanding for quite some time now. Or when you feel that your child is not focusing on his studies, the authoritative parent in you can point out his shortcomings and put him back on the right track.

The School is so concerned to talk to parents during PTM and discussing the growth and development of children with their parents and letting them to know about the right parenting style for kids by providing some suggestions to them. And it has always been our effort to provide our students with the best of environments for studying. Students are encouraged to take part in a variety of specially designed activities to bring out their talents, making us one of the best CBSE schools in Coimbatore.