Parenting & Parenting Styles
Parenting is most often thought of as the act of simply "bringing up" a child, when in reality, it is so much more than that! Parenting is the one of the most essential parts of not only the lives of parents but more importantly, the lives of their children. The type of parent a person has is one of the biggest predictors of their future! Parenting style is defined as “a context that moderates the influences of specific parenting practices on the child”(Winsor et al., 2018, p.9). This basically means the way in which one parents their child.The four parenting styles include Authoritative, Authoritarian, Permissive, and Neglectful.
Authoritative
An "Authoritative" parenting style is characterized by the parent having high expectations of the child while providing the child with the necessary support to meet these expectations (Winsor et al., 2018, p.9). The authoritative parent makes an effort to see things from the perspective of the child when the child has done something wrong in order to properly discipline the child. Authoritative parents show their children the respect they would want to receive while allowing their children to have control over their own actions, they also explain their reasoning to their child rather than their explanation being "because I SAID SO." Children from authoritarian households are more likely to speak up when they don't agree with something and question authority figures later in life. They are more likely to have advanced verbal skills and higher performance in school. Finally, they are said to be more socially and emotionally competent and they tend to be more resilient in psychological and behavioral aspects.
Authoritarian
An "Authoritarian" parenting style is characterized by the parent having high expectations of the child while not providing the necessary support for the child to meet these expectations (Winsor et al., 2018, p.9). The authoritarian parent is extremely inflexible and unyielding in the way that they parent. They expect complete obedience from their children without providing any sort of explanation. They value corporal punishment and expressive language in the way that they discipline their child. The authoritarian parent focuses on themselves more than their children, believing that the child should respect them no matter what and do what they say without question, simply because they are the parent. Children from authoritarian households tend to lack confidence when it comes to speaking up for themselves and have poorer verbal skills. They are also more prone to anxiety and poorer academic performance.
Permissive
A "Permissive" parent is characterized by being highly responsive to the child while placing few controls on them (Winsor et al., 2018, p.11). This parent essentially lets the child do whatever it wants and gives the child whatever it wants while rarely disciplining it. Children from permissive households tend to be very self-confident but they have a hard time following rules. They are more likely to speak out against an authority figure, and less likely to follow through with completing challenging tasks. This child is also more prone to misconduct in school, substance abuse, and poorer academic performance.
Neglectful
Self Connection
The "Neglectful" parent shows no interest or involvement in the child's life and places no restraint on what the child does (Winsor et al., 2018, p.11). Sometimes, the parent is not there physically to control the child and other times, they just aren't bothered with the child. Children of neglectful parents tend to crave attention and try to get it by any means, including poor behavior in school and in life. These children also tend to have less socio-emotional confidence and more psychological and behavioral problems (Winsor et al., 2018, p.11).
After learning about the different parenting styles, I can confidently say that most of my childhood, my parents exhibited a mix of authoritarian and authoritative parenting styles. There were times that my parents would get upset with my behavior and never explain to me why which left me very confused and not understanding why what I did was wrong. There were also times when my parents were extremely supportive of me and my goals, providing me with confidence and courage. In my opinion, as a child, their authoritarian parenting style had more of an effect on my behavior. While I was social as a child and maintained good grades, I did often lack the confidence to question things and speak up for myself. Since I've gone deeper into adolescence however, I've gained more confidence in speaking socially and I have maintained my high academic performance.
Application to Nursing
I plan to become a nurse, specifically in obstetrics. In the field of obstetrics, my career will be centered around pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. As a nurse, patient connection is one of the biggest aspects of your career, and being able to provide advice to new parents when it comes to the future of their children will be essential in connecting with them. Learning about the parenting styles has better equipped me in having the ability to do so.