How Do You Define Different Parenting Style?

I worked out very early in life that no two parenting styles are alike. In fact, as a primary school kid, I used to fascinate at each adults different style of parenting when the school would conduct it's social occasions.

Some parents were strict, almost to the point of being embarassingly overwhelming; some were extremely lax and casual in their child disciplines while others were a mix of strict and casual, somewhere in between if you like.

So, what are the different types of parenting. Is there a guide we can refer to before we enter father and motherhood and choose a parenting style. Let's briefly examine some of the different styles of parenting so you can see which category you may come under.

Authoritative

Authoritative parenting is considered as the balanced style between authoritarian and permissive. Children are given a little leeway and are given choices up until a certain point. While parents will listen to a child's point of view, ultimately the final decision will rest with the adult. Children in a sense a taught negotiation skills but within the laws outlined by the adults and learn discipline in a way which appears to give both parties an equal benefit. In other words, there is usually less conflict.

Authoritarian

As the name implies, this different parenting style is high in structural boundaries and somewhat strict military in it's execution. Their responsiveness to their children is usually low to very low. Rules are laid down and must be followed and in some cases, punishment metered out would be seen in today's society as extremely, and unnecessarily heavy-handed. Discipline provides the core base of the authoritarian type.

Permissive Or Indulgent

The total opposite to authoritarian, permissive or indulgent parents tend to have a lot less structure but are extremely responsive in nature to their children. Parenting styles portrayed during the 60's on television are similar in nature to permissive parenting. Many people regard this style as a little mythical and out of touch with reality but if certain aspects of it were incorporated into the other styles then the end result could only be positive, don't you think?

Non-Interested Or Uninvolved

Not the best model but this different parenting style must be mentioned. Basically, those in this category are detached from their children in a way where structure and discipline is almost non-existant. They lack a desire to take on responsibility either because they are incapable or circumstance is preventing them from practising good parenting skill.

It's almost a given that if you spent time in ten different households, then you would see a variation in different parenting style methods in each one of those ten domains. Maybe we have made parenting more complex than it should be. Is one style mentioned in this article a better model than the other?