We all know the stereotypical soccer mom that shows up every Saturday morning to her child’s game, emerging out of her minivan with her Starbucks coffee in hand. This is one of the many types of parents out there in the globe, but nobody parents the same today. No one has the absolute right answer on how to be a mother or a father. 

There are millions of parents and millions of children on our planet, and even with all of these parents, no one has found a complete “perfect” way to raise a child. Sure, the basics have been set, provide food, shelter, and comfort: but what about screen time? Their education? What clothes they wear? Their curfew? Vaccinations? 

Melissa Ortman, Kitchen Manager at CCAHS, said, “My kids are free to dress how they wish.  I might suggest that they change their clothes but if they really want to wear something, they just hide it anyway.”

Assistant Principal Mike Potter said he does monitor his children’s clothing choices, “Because I’m the adult.”

Plenty of people share their opinions on what they believe is right and wrong to do when raising a child. Whether it be commenting it on social media or calling out a mother for not soothing her child for having a tantrum right there in the grocery store, people have a lot to say about parenting. 

There are four common styles of parenting which researchers have identified (Verywell Family). Authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and uninvolved. The authoritarian parenting style focuses on obedience and behavior. These types of parents are often very strict and focus heavily on consequences. These parents are also grouped into “helicopter” parents as well. Helicopter parents tend to hover around their child worried about their every move and overly concerned about their wellbeing. 

Meanwhile authoritative parents focus on developing connections with their children. Parents like these give reasons behind their rules unlike authoritarian parents who just say, “because I said so.” 

Permissive parents according to Verywell Family are very relaxed and often give no form of punishment and give more rewards even for the littlest things. Permissive parents are more like friends to their children and don’t enforce good habits. Such as brushing their teeth, basic care and skills, cleaning, and responsibility. 

The last style of parenting is uninvolved. These types of parents provide no emotional or physical support for their child. They often don’t know where their child is or who they are with, and children with uninvolved parents are more likely to do poorly in school and have more emotional outbursts. 

However not everyone fits in these categories though, there can be some grey area. These categories can mean nothing at the end of the day, it may just be a way for humans to categorize our behavior. Bottom line, there really is no perfect way to parent. It is what works best for you and your family.

Source:

https://www.facebook.com/verywell. “4 Types of Parenting Styles and Their Effects on Kids.” Verywell Family, 2020, www.verywellfamily.com/types-of-parenting-styles-1095045. Accessed 31 Oct. 2020.