Mylo Parenting

Parenting Styles

Upbringing a child is not a cakewalk. It requires proper vision. The manner in which parents raise their children is referred to as parenting style. The style that a parent choose depends a lot on their expectations, style of discipline, patience level, performance pressure and the family environment in which a child is being reared. The different ways in which a parent attempts to control, guide and socialize their children, give way to four different parenting styles.

Authoritative Parenting

This kind of parenting adopts a middle path and is generally referred to as the ‘Just Right’ style of parenting. Parents do set expectations for their children but also guide them as per their child’s capabilities and support their comfort zone. Such parents do enforce boundaries but are also warm and responsive.

Authoritarian Parenting

This parenting style clearly states - ‘My Way or High Way’. Such parents are very rigid and strict. They do set expectations with a non-negotiable set of rules. This kind of parenting demands a high level of discipline and obedience & negligence results in punishment.

Permissive Parenting

A parenting style which doesn’t believe in enforcing rules and boundaries and states - ‘You Can Do It All’. A permissive set of parents respect and value their child’s freedom and are undemanding. Permissive parenting lacks a structural approach, thereby raising happy but no self-control children.

Uninvolved Parenting

A parenting style that doesn’t want any mess in life and believes in ‘Live & Let Live’ kind of fundamental. This is a neglectful parenting style in which parents are often emotionally or physically absent. There is a lack of communication and no behavioural expectation. This may be due to their over-indulgence in work or some mental disturbances that they might be going through.

Intrusive Parenting

It is a kind of parenting that lacks respect for a child’s opinion or interest, especially in the adolescent years. Many things are enforced upon a child and parents intrudes with unrealistic expectation against the wish and will of their child, the underperformance of which results in love withdrawal by parents.

Positive Parenting Tips

Parenting is not a degree to attain rather it’s an experience to nourish. Parenting is a kind of journey that never ends. It flourishes more with time, experience, patience, love and care. Positive parenting believes in the concept of nurturing children and not just upbringing them. There are several ways in which parents create a beautiful bond with their child, who is accepted as born good and will do good. Read below the various tips for positive parenting.

Be kind

A gesture weighs a thousand times more than words. Be gentle towards their changing behaviour, demands and development stages. Show them affection by holding hands, hugs and cute cuddles. Remember, you need to raise your child in a comforting family environment.

Guide them through their mistakes

Every individual commits mistakes. So does a child. A positive parent does not believe in punishing to correct the problematic behaviour. For them, praise & bestowing a level of understanding works better. It helps to build trust in a parent-child relationship and there is no space for the damage; both physically & emotionally.

Be clear and consistent

Discussion helps! Sit down across a table and have family rules defined. Let your kids have a clear understanding of what is appreciable and what won’t be tolerated. But, don’t go harsh on rules. The most important is to state the rules positively and should be easy and fun to follow. The key to a disciplined household is consistency. There are times when life sucks, plans change, last moment urgency occurs but, always be consistent with the routine. Maintain the SAME schedule on weekends and holidays.

Be patient

A well-groomed & disciplined child is not an overnight thing. A lot of patience, perseverance and politeness is needed at every stage of parenting in order to raise a happy, harmonious and healthy social being. Positive parenting works on the principle that inappropriate behaviour will come your way hundreds of times, but with humour, goodwill and patience even the most troublesome adolescent can be reared to be an amazing individual.

Set realistic expectations

Overrated expectations often ruin the beautiful bond. Parents should set certain rules, and expectations both academic, Behavioural and social but keeping in mind the child’s potential, interests and the available support system. The expectations should also be age-appropriate and not guided by societal pressure.

Discipline them

You need to always keep in mind that there are no bad kids, it is only the behaviour that is good or bad which is also very situational. It is important to enforce discipline in a creative and flexible way. Discipline is important to make them socially & emotionally mature and independent. But discipline does not permit you to be harsh. The problems are not to be ignored but need to be dealt with differently without hurting the child verbally or physically.

Be a role model

Parents are the first humans a child connects with, reacts and learns to interact with. So, if you are trying to imbibe certain principles in your child, you need to follow them too. If they are making poor choices of behaviour, then give check your reaction to situations and ensure that you are not setting a wrong example.

Frequently Asked Questions about Parenting

Parenting not only comes with responsibility but also brings in a lot of anxiety. In a quest to know more, do right and be the best parent, every parent encounters numerous questions, to which we have the answers. Look at the few of them answered to our best below.

Why is parenting so important?

Parenting holds a responsible position of providing one’s child with the best of love, care, guidance, support, protection & lifestyle amenities. Parenting is important to shape a child into a socially, emotionally and physically fit adult.

What is the difference between parent and parenting?

Parents are those whom we are born to or they can also be one’s caregivers. While Parenting is a process of nurturing a child for his/her physical, emotional, social, moral, and intellectual development right from birth till he/she becomes a mature adult.

What are challenges of parenting?

Parenting is a tough journey with many hiccups. A few major challenges of parenting are inculcating good habits, and moral & social values in their child, keeping patience and becoming an ideal role model. Parents usually also strive for quality time to spend with their kids.

How parenting affects a child's development?

The different approaches parents use to raise their children, majorly affect a child’s personality. The amount of love & care, rules & restrictions, family values and the approach to handling a situation has an impact on children’s socioemotional and cognitive development.

What is respectful parenting?

It is an approach towards parenting where respect is earned, not forced or demanded. It creates a beautiful bond in a parent-child relationship and parents believe in collaborative effort rather than imposing decisions.

What is submissive parenting?

This is a kind of parenting where parents are too warm and loving towards children which makes them reluctant to impose any kind of restriction. They don’t believe in keeping children under control and are also not demanding.

What is peaceful parenting?

Peaceful parenting is a kind of authoritative parenting which works on the principle of maintaining harmony in the family. Rules are set but with mutual discussion and agreement.

What is coercive parenting?

It is a harsh kind of parenting where parents may use abusive language or physically hit a child, scream, threaten or try to psychologically control the child in order to enforce discipline.