It is possible that you follow a specific parenting style and that you have never stopped to think about what it is and how it is affecting the psychological and emotional development of your children. Your children’s self-esteem, their personality, the way they communicate with the world, the love they feel… everything will depend on the parenting style they have from their main caregivers throughout their childhood and adolescence.

parenting styles

When we talk about parenting styles we are referring to the way of raising and educating young children. It is by means of which the strategies that parents or main caregivers use in the upbringing and education of the child they are in charge of are psychologically constructed.

It also has to do with how parents or primary caregivers respond to children’s emotions. In short, it is the way of acting that parents or main caregivers have on a day-to-day basis and all of this encompasses different behaviors, emotions, behaviors, thoughts… from parents to children.

Children depend directly on the adults who take care of them. Everything that happens around them has a strong impact on their development. That is why the way parents take care of them, protect them or interact with their children is so important. Children, without their parents realizing it, are developing emotionally and socially based on all this.

All this will have a direct impact on the well-being of children, as well as on their present and future mental health. It depends on how the child feels treated by their reference persons, they will feel one way or another with themselves or with others. Relationships towards oneself and towards the environment will also have to do with the parenting style.

different parenting styles

You will have your own way of educating and raising your children, perhaps you do not follow a specific style, it is possible that you follow, without realizing it, more than one… depending on the situation in which you find yourself. You may also realize that you are indeed following only one parenting style. If it seems right to you, you will surely continue doing it in the same way, but if it does not seem right to you, then it is the best time for you to change it and improve everyone’s family life.

Because each parenting style has different consequences on the development of children. It is information that we do not normally have in mind in our day to day, and that is why it is essential to emphasize it to take it into account from now and forever.

authoritarian parenting

When we talk about authoritarian parenting we are talking about demanding and uncompromising parents. They impose strict rules and limits and do not take into account the opinion and emotions of their children. They are rules that must be followed blindly or otherwise, there would be an imposed and unfair punishment that the minor would have to suffer.

These types of parents are controllers, supervisors… they don’t take no for an answer and their children have to blindly obey them because if not, they consider that they are being disrespected. The most extreme can reach physical or verbal violence. They are not empathetic, they do not like to communicate with their children and the bond they have is broken and toxic. Children grow up under the yoke of fear and do not trust their parents. They do not feel loved or understood.

permissive parenting

Permissive parenting is the opposite of the parenting style that we discussed in the previous point. In this case, the parents are affective and do not establish rules or limits in the home. They do not demand anything from their children and whims are the order of the day to avoid tantrums or that the minor gets angry or frustrated.

Children will grow up thinking that they are the center of the universe and this will cause serious relationship, self-esteem and emotional security problems. They will not feel safe at home because parents are not stable role models for them to follow.

democratic upbringing

This would be the ideal type of upbringing where children would develop healthily and with an important emotional balance. A healthy and strengthened relationship between parents and children is built. Parents are empathic, setting rules and limits but open to listening to their children’s opinions and feelings. Rules can be changed if circumstances require. They act in a consistent manner and all their limits are clear and the consequences for non-compliance, previously agreed with the children. They always act from love, affection and respect.

neglectful parenting

This type of parenting is dangerous because parents do not care in any way about the development of their children. There may be physical or verbal abuse, no home rules, or inconsistent rules that confuse children and make them feel emotionally abandoned. Parents show no interest in the development or education of their children. Children grow up without parents to turn to when they are afraid or when they need them, having low self-esteem, a dependent personality style in adult life, severe mental health problems, etc.

What cannot be lacking in a good upbringing is respect, love, affection, positive discipline… If you feel lost regarding the education of your children, do not hesitate to seek help from a professional who will help you find the path of harmony in your home.

Your children need a role model who provides them with physical and emotional security, who can learn everything about their lives, who have good communication and a strong bond that unites them. In this way, today’s child will be a happy and understood child… something that will allow him to grow in a healthy way in all aspects. Otherwise, emotional problems will come sooner or later to cause serious obstacles in life.