What is the Best Parenting Style?

A lot of parents often need clarification about what is the best parenting style. The question is great because it can significantly impact how children grow into adults.

Research shows that authoritative parenting is the most effective style of parenting. It strikes the right balance between psychological control (authoritarian) and behavioral control (permissive).

The authoritative parenting style is a healthy balance between setting limits and showing love. Experts agree that this approach is best for most kids and families.

Children raised by authoritative parents tend to be more capable, happy, and successful. They also have lower depression, anxiety, criminal behavior, and drug abuse problems than those raised by permissive parents.

Authoritative parents set boundaries and discipline their children firmly and consistently, but they don’t get upset or harsh. These parents also communicate effectively and encourage open discussion.

Researchers have found that children of all temperaments benefit from authoritative parenting. This parenting style helps develop social skills and reasoning abilities.

Nurturing parenting focuses on loving guidance, patience, and understanding. It is a less strict approach than traditional parenting, which uses more rules and structure.

Kids with nurturing parents often have a sense of belonging and value independence. They also feel a connection to their parents and can make informed decisions.

In addition, these kids can deal with a lot of stress. Their parents are in tune with their needs and guide them through open discussions to teach values and reasoning.

The North Dakota Department of Human Services offers a Nurturing Parenting Program at no cost to families in the state. This program is available to all families with children birth to 18 years.

Uninvolved parenting is a style that focuses on children’s needs but neglects to provide emotional support or advice. This parenting style, neglectful, can negatively affect a child’s development and relationships.

A child needs a solid parent-child relationship to develop self-confidence and healthy social skills. When a parent lacks this connection, a child might have problems with school performance and behavior issues.

In addition, they could have difficulties forming a relationship with other kids, says Borden.

Generally, children with uninvolved parents don’t feel close to their parents and have difficulty making friends outside of the home.

The child may become withdrawn or exhibit behavior problems, like aggression and bullying. They might also have low self-esteem and emotional issues, Borden says.

Permissive parenting is a style of parenting that focuses on acceptance, nurturance, and low demands. This parenting style is often used by parents who were raised by overly strict parents or want to avoid conflict with their kids.

The best way to approach this parenting style is to create loving limits and communicate those limits. When you set loving boundaries, your child will learn that fleeting feelings and momentary wants don’t define their happiness or fulfillment.

They will learn that sadness and anger are standard but can be overcome if you set the proper boundaries.

The biggest challenge for permissive parents is following through on consequences for misbehavior. This is very difficult but crucial for your child’s well-being and development.