How Parenting Styles Affect Child Behavior and Development

Parenting is widely recognized as one of the key determinants of functioning of a child and his or her behavior. Parental behavior includes how they respond to, punish, and direct their children, which may cause permanent changes in their emotional, social, and even cognitive development. Every parent-child bond is special and can never be compared with the other one, but the practitioners in the field of psychology have described four forms of parenting that best describe how parents socialize their children. Different styles have their own consequences for the child’s behavior and development.

In this article, we shall discuss these styles and the effects they have on children.

The Four Primary Types of Parenting:

1. Authoritative Parenting
2. Authoritarian Parenting
3. Permissive Parenting
4. Disengaged (Unresponsive) Parenting

1. Authoritative Parenting

Authoritative parents are both warm and control with higher demands on children and give them more freedom. Parents are authoritative to their children and still listen to them, explain, and understand that the children have needs also. It is most often characterized as exactly heavy in terms of demographic demand, but at the same time, it is reactive.

Characteristics:

Praise, demands, consultation, and guidance.

Effects on Children: In an authoritative parenting style, a child is usually confident, socially competent, and has sound emotional well-being. According to them, children who use computers present higher levels of self-esteem and have better academic scores. These children also learn how to solve problems and make decisions, for they will be allowed to make decisions within certain boundaries, including the ability to state their preferences and bargain.

2. Authoritarian Parenting

Authoritarian parents demand their children’s obedience and are very much more strict than permissive parents. They may expect a lot but are seldom affectionate or caring. The above style can be defined as ‘callous’ or demanding, uncommunicative.

Characteristics:

Harsh lines, options are also limited, emphasizes control subordinate’s behavior, and the employment of punitive methods to ensure compliance.

Effects on Children:

Children who grow in authoritarian homes are disciplined but may end up having bad self-esteem as well as poor independent lifestyles. They may also develop anxiety or fear, and some even rebel as they join the adolescence stage of development. Such children develop poor interaction skills when it comes to social issues for the absence of a healthy marriage.

3. Permissive Parenting

Permissive parents are warm and permissive in an overly giving way. They are amazing and nurturing and loving to them but tend to be lax when it comes to boundaries and rules. Responsive but not demanding is the style of this.
Characteristics: Few rules, much indulgence, and an open affection.

Effects on Children:

Children raised with permissive parenting often lack self-control and have a hard time following rules. You can end up with people who are demanding and struggle with frustration. But they are usually emotionally secure with high self esteem because they are so warm and affectionate. Sadly though, lack of discipline can result in bad academic performance and also problems with authority in defined environments.

4. Uninvolved Parenting

Parent who are neglectful are disconnected and don’t care about their children’s needs. But they offer zero guidance, support or discipline and can be bad for a child’s development. This is neither demanding nor responsive style.

Characteristics:

Absent from the child’s life, minimal supervision, scant to no emotional involvement, unreliable care.

Effects on Children:

Neglectful backgrounds frequently result in children that have low self-esteem, poor school performance, and lack of social skills. They may be feeling emotionally unstable and with attachment issues, feeling abandoned or simply unloved. These kids may be then more likely to engage in risky behaviors as they grow older because they do not have their parent's presence around to support them.

Effect of Parenting Styles on Child Development:

Parenting styles aren’t just about current behavior; they also affect developmental growth later in life.
Emotional Development: Children who grow up in love come up with positive emotional regulation skills. That is, in contrast to children raised in authoritarian or neglectful households might have problems regulating emotions.

Social Development:

The parent-child interaction affects how children interact with others. By contrast, children whose parents are more authoritative in their parenting are usually social children who move with ease in groups; whereas children of more authoritarian or neglectful parents may withdraw or attack socially.

Self-Esteem and Confidence:

Kids who have experienced high self esteem are positively raised by authors. Under authoritarian parenting, feelings of inadequacy can happen, while in permissive parenting, one may feel overconfident and without the ability to back it up.

Conclusion, Knowing how different parenting styles can affect your child’s growth is important for those parents who want to rear well-balanced, confident, and emotionally balanced children. There is no one parenting style that is perfect, but what seems to be a balance of all three of warmth, guidance, and discipline, such as authoritative parenting, appears to offer the most benefits. But it’s important to appreciate that each child is unique and that some parents may find that they need to adapt their efforts as their child is not what it might have been.