There are four primary types of traditional parenting styles. The styles are based on how supportive and how demanding you are regarding your children. Out of those, keep in mind that psychology says that AUTHORITATIVE parenting is the style that produces the healthiest children. Also keep in mind that my expertise is in Conscious Parenting, which isn’t covered here.
Supportiveness, or parental responsiveness, is when parents intentionally foster individuality, self-regulation, and self-assertion. They do it by being in tune, supportive, and acquiescent to children’s special needs and demands. Demandingness, or behavioral control via discipline, refers to “the claims parents make on children to become integrated into the family whole, by their maturity demands, supervision, disciplinary efforts and willingness to confront the child who disobeys.”
Parenting Styles Broken Down
The definitions are borrowed directly from Myria because I couldn’t have said it any better myself ! Feel free to click their link and check out the entire article.
Indulgent Parenting
People also call this style ‘permissive’ or ‘nondirective’ parenting. It’s when parents are more responsive than demanding. They’re pretty nontraditional and lenient, they don’t require mature behavior, they allow tons of self-regulation and avoid confrontation. Indulgent parents can still be separated into two types. There’s “democratic parents, who, though lenient, are more conscientious, engaged, and committed to the child; and nondirective parents.”
Authoritarian Parents
These parents are super demanding and directive, but not responsive. They’re most concerned with obedience and control. They believe that children should just do what they say without an explanation. They also provide well-ordered and structured environments with clearly stated rules. Authoritarian parents also have two subgroups. Nonauthoritarian-directive parents, who are directive, but not intrusive or controlling and authoritarian-directive parents, who are highly intrusive.
Authoritative Parents
Authoritative parents are both demanding and responsive. They have clear standards for their children’s conduct. They’re assertive, but not intrusive or too restrictive. Their disciplinary methods are supportive, rather than punitive. “They want their children to be assertive as well as socially responsible, and self-regulated as well as cooperative.”
Uninvolved (Neglectful) Parents
These guys are slow to respond and have few demands. In extreme cases, this parenting style might encompass both rejecting- and neglecting. Neglectful parents, although still pretty tragic either way, usually just neglect and don’t physically abuse.
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