Authoritative Parenting Style: The Most Effective Style

Authoritative Parenting Style
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Authoritative Parenting Style
Every parent has a unique approach to raising their children, but certain characteristics are shared by parents who use various parenting methods. It's important to note that while there are many differences in how parents rear their children, most of them have many similar characteristics. Researchers in the field have identified four distinct classes of parents based on their main characteristics due to the numerous parallels in how parents rear their children. The four parenting styles are described as the variations of techniques that parents use on their children, and these classifications include authoritarian or disciplinarian, permissive or indulgent, uninvolved, and authoritative parenting styles, as defined by Diane Baumrind in her works in the 1960s. Since the four models have differing effects on adolescents, they are used in different situations. If parents expect their children to grow up to be self-sufficient adults, they should use an authoritarian parenting style. Consequently, each of these parenting styles has its merits and demerits depending on the outcomes these children turn into as teenagers and adults. Every parent should ensure that their children grow up according to their parents' parenting style to ensure that the best possible outcome is achieved. Therefore, every parenting style should be considered as important as any other. Because children adhere to the individual parenting style involved, their parents should consider every aspect they should use to ensure the best outcome for their children. However, the authoritative parenting strategy is more effective than the other three parenting styles because it combines sensitivity towards the children, accompanied by warmth. Also, it involves setting limits between the children and their parents and ensuring that they have the best possible outcome from parenting. Additionally, there are several lenses where parenting styles can be observed. The first aspect is the social-learning theory, where the children learn behavior from their parents and immediate contacts influencing how they are raised. Also, the behaviorism theory suggests that children copy and imitate those around them, especially parents suggesting that the parents indirectly influence their behavior. The social-cultural theory of parenting suggests that children become accustomed to the social cultures and norms, hence learning acceptable and unacceptable behavior in society with a specific result from the specific parenting style. Thus, it is necessary to understand these theories concerning the parenting styles and ascertain the best parenting style in the process. Therefore, authoritative parenting is the best out of the four parenting styles because it utilizes the use of authority accompanied by the mutual understanding between the children and their parents, ensuring the best possible outcome between the two parties. Consequently, children raised through the authoritative parenting method are more likely to become self-sufficient and independent while also remaining morally upright according to the set moral standards. The authoritative parenting style involves a controlled situation where individuals are strictly controlled by their parents while also developing their paths towards adulthood (Dewar, 2013). According to this argument, parents who utilize this style still maintain personal relationships with their children because they create a situation where they feel loved and understand the limits that they are not supposed to surpass during their childhood years. This differs from the authoritarian child perspective, where children are forced to adhere to strict rules, which are mostly enforced through fear and strict reinforcements, whereby the resultant outcome is an adult who even fears to make their own decision. From the authoritative parenting style, children respect rather than fear their parents, which creates a sense of confidence in them and can be considered the most effective parenting style. In extreme scenarios, the uninvolved parenting style cannot be compared to the authoritative style because the children often have a sense of connection with their parents; unlike the uninvolved style from this analysis, the authoritative parenting style can be considered to be the most effective parenting style where discipline is maintained through the parents' authority while ensuring that the children also have their opinions and thoughts about their lives. Social Learning Theory Additionally, through the social-learning theory, the authoritative parenting style has a regenerating effect on the children who also seek to ensure that they raise their children the way they were raised. This implies that children raised using this parenting style are also bound to use it because they appreciate how they were raised, especially through discipline and some freedom, making them into adolescents and eventual adults. In the light of behaviorism, children often take up their parents' behavior such that they also later grow up and use the same parenting style as their parents did (Bi et al., 2018). From this, argument the authoritative parenting style is the most appropriate over other parenting styles since it has a trickle-down effect that is felt through generations. This ensures that all children who have undergone this parenting style can adhere to authority while making their own decisions. Through the social-learning theory, these individuals often pass this style to their offsprings. For instance, in the uninvolved and authoritarian parenting style, the main features of this style are learned through behaviorism and hence creating a negative spiraling effect among children. Therefore, the authoritative parenting style outstands all other parenting styles because it creates a cycle from children learning their parents' behavior and later practicing this behavior because they were brought up similarly. Also, the authoritative parenting style is one of the styles that eliminate juvenile delinquency among children and adolescents. According to a study by the Journal of Education and educational development, children and adolescents are less likely to develop instances of juvenile delinquency from this parenting style (Sarwar, 2016). This argument suggests that the authoritarian/disciplinarian, uninvolved, and permissive/indulgent parenting styles often contribute towards juvenile delinquency based on the parenting style. For instance, Baumring suggests that the uninvolved and permissive parenting styles are the most culpable parenting styles that lead to children and adolescents developing juvenile behavior (Baumrind, 1966). Baumring further suggests that the authoritarian parenting style often leads to rebellious behavior, suggesting that these children and adole...