Nearly 48% of parents in the United States practice the authoritative parenting style. While only 26% use the authoritarian style. What is the difference? Knowing which parenting style is most encouraged in modern America is essential.
This is because raising a child is always challenging. You want to ensure you do the best job as a parent and raise your little ones to be future leaders. Your children should always look up to you as a role model.
They should have respect and love for you and not be ruled primarily by fear. Here is everything you should know about modern parent styles and how you can help your kids grow up to be the best people.
Why Know Modern Parenting Styles?
Parenting is a sensitive and subjective topic. This is because parent styles vary from person to person. Most people want to do their best to raise their kids but may also judge other parents.
You may have come across someone who thinks that they have the best parenting style, and they try to push their methods on others. Remember that parents play a pivotal role in their children’s early years.
So, you should always have an active presence and involvement in your kid’s life to help decide their future and shape them to be their best.
Before diving into the various parenting styles, you must understand what it means to be a parent. Parenting describes the process in which parents raise their kids in a secure and safe environment.
This can involve providing your children with whatever they need for their growth. Instilling values in a child according to their culture and traditions is also a massive part of parenting.
You will respond in a specific manner to your kid’s actions through your chosen parenting style.
Then you can provide them with the best life by getting them everything they need. For example, considering their comfort in their early years is crucial. These Silver Cross Reef Strollers can give your child the most comfortable life as they develop.
Which Parenting Style Is Most Encouraged in Modern America?
Parenting styles have changed significantly through each generation. These styles help adults shape their child’s personality and behavior. So, you must choose the right parenting style to ensure you do not ruin your child’s upbringing and self-esteem.
Remember that parenting styles that worked many moons ago may not work with the current generation. This is because of many external factors like early puberty and technological advancement.
For instance, if you have a fit of rage and hit your child, they might post on TikTok about it and try to cancel you. Even if the elderly folk from back in the day said that their methods of disciplining children are “unbeatable,” you should be careful about how you raise kids.
You want your child to trust you instead of turning to strangers who may further turn them against you. In earlier times, most parents shouted down the importance of hard work, respect, and discipline. Communication, problem-solving, and intellectual curiosity have taken over previous buzzwords.
Authoritative Parenting Style
Authoritative parenting is the most encouraged modern parenting style in the United States. This is where you can have the healthiest balance between being your child’s best friend and disciplining them.
Under this authoritative style, your child is expected to be obedient and behave, especially if you are out in public. However, your kids will also be shown a lot of love and affection while you ask them to do certain things and enforce your rules.
Even though the authoritative and authoritarian approaches sound like they are the same, one is an outright winner.
Authoritative parents are highly receptive to their child’s needs. They are heavily involved in their upbringing. But nothing is spoon-fed to the child to ensure they can grow up to become confident people.
Children are given freedom when challenged a little to push boundaries and learn from their decisions. But, parents cannot recklessly leave their children completely to do whatever they wish.
If you feel your child is at risk of hurting themselves or others, you will need to guide them using love and powerful communication methods.
The best way to summarize authoritative parenting is by giving your kids a lot of tender love and care while giving them a much-needed reality check. If you successfully use this parenting style, your child will feel safe and secure even if they are being made aware of the consequences of their actions.
Pros of Authoritative Parenting
This is the best parenting style because it boosts the child’s confidence and promotes positive growth. Your child will grow up learning powerful communication skills to express their thoughts and fears.
They will also have more self-awareness to understand how their decisions can impact themselves and others. If you want your child to become independent while encouraging responsible and positive behavior, this is the best parenting style to go for.
By practicing authoritative parenting instead of the other traditional techniques, you can establish a healthier relationship between you and your kids. Then your child will always feel confident to approach you for guidance, which will also significantly impact their career and academics.
Neglectful Parenting Style
Neglectful parenting is also known as uninvolved, disengaged, or disinterested parenting. This is a parenting style for people who want to be the least involved in their children’s lives.
Under this neglectful parenting style, people are unresponsive to their children’s psychological needs and upbringing. Neglectful parents will only make the least amount of effort to fulfill their children’s basic needs. All secondary needs will be pushed to the back burner as though they do not exist.
For instance, a parent who does not want to be too involved will pay all the bills and ensure their child is fed. However, they may not put any money aside for the child’s hobbies or ever take them out to a concert.
People who are barely involved in their children’s lives end up with kids who display risky behaviors. This is because neglecting a child can create a lot of conflict between parents and children.
There is no emotional bond to strengthen your love. So, children raised by parents who neglect them often feel unloved and uncherished. Your child could think lower of themself, which is why they may act out in school to get your attention or do something crazy that you would not expect.
This is one of the worst parenting styles, and rarely has it ever resulted positively. Children raised by this parenting style are usually left to be on their own while their parents are absent.
If you are a neglectful parent, you will also struggle to lay down ground rules to discipline your child. This is because you will not be a constant presence for you or your child to even remember your rules.
Permissive Parenting Style
Have you ever heard the famous quote, “Kids will be kids”? This is what permissive parenting is all about. Under a permissive parenting style, most parents are responsive to their kids.
So, you will be willing to help your child, but only if they ask for it. You will go out of your way to try and get them to make their own decisions as though they are already grownups. These types of parents let their kids run wild and free without setting any major rules or rigid boundaries.
Permissive parenting is one of the riskiest parenting styles because no restrictions let kids know who is in charge. Permissive parents are likelier to indulge in their children’s desires and forgive them easily.
They also value their children’s individuality while giving them too much space and freedom in the name of independence. These parents are the most relaxed and lenient.
Consequences
Children can seem much older than they are because they are tasked with making their own decisions instead of having an adult guide them by hand.
However, too much freedom can be harmful, especially for young kids. For instance, you do not want to risk letting your child take your car for a drive without a license and while under the influence.
This can get both you and your child into a lot of trouble. Even though giving space can creatively help children, it can also call for unwanted behavior patterns.
If you do not set the correct guidelines and expectations for your child in a non-punitive way, you risk them becoming rude and egoistic if they are one day no longer allowed to do whatever they want.
It is necessary to lay down some ground rules instead of always relying on rewards and positive reinforcement to get your kids to do the right thing. Otherwise, your children will not consider you the household’s highest authority.
It is an incredible experience to consider your kids as friends, but you should practice this when they are a little older.
Kids who are given too much power to look after themselves end up being undisciplined and may find it challenging to follow orders in the future, especially from their teachers, bosses, and seniors in school and the workplace.
Authoritarian Parenting Style
Compared to the permissive parenting style, authoritarian parenting is way more stringent. This is where the parents demand their children to always be compliant and respectful. As a parent, you will lay down some strict rules and regulations to be followed in your home.
Then your child is expected to follow these without questioning or challenging your authority. This is also a very traditional method of parenting where the parents are seen as the highest authority by default. Anything that a parent says to their child is considered the final word.
So, a child cannot argue back with their parents. They must follow the rules and comply without causing any drama. There is no scope for argumentation, even if a child wants to ask their parents for reasons behind their parenting techniques.
This makes the child feel obligated to comply with whatever the parent says to make them happy, not because the kid thinks the decision is wise. This traditional parenting style emphasizes strict rules and obedience.
Too Strict
Under this authoritarian parenting style, parents are warm and responsive to their child’s emotional needs. This is not all bad. However, children are not allowed to have their own points of view or opinions that differ from their parents.
Because of this, kids may face the harshest punishments if they go against their parents’ orders. Under this parenting style, children must keep up with their parents’ high expectations.
Otherwise, unfavorable consequences may occur, such as grounding the child or confiscating their phone until they have learned their lesson. The downside is that many parents get too caught up in their egos. Especially when it comes to this parenting style.
They risk using harsh disciplinary methods that can jeopardize a child’s mental health.
Instead of letting your child feel safe to grow and learn, you keep them under a boot where they will not be tolerated if they go against your wishes. Even if your kids become disciplined and respect their elders, you risk having them hate you in your old age.
Practice Modern Parenting Styles
Even though you know which parenting style is most encouraged in modern America, it’s essential to remember that nothing guarantees positive parenting results.
This is because parenting is not a science with concrete results and expectations. It is a type of art that parents must craft to handle their kids.
Authoritative parenting is considered to be the best in America. This is because it teaches kids to ask for help without fear while still having the independence to think for themselves.
If you enjoyed reading these parenting tips, check out some of our other posts.