If you wish to strike a perfect balance between being a disciplinarian and a pushover, authoritarian parenting may be the way for you. Or, if you are a warm and friendly parent who respects your child’s individuality, you are already an authoritative parent. It is highly likely that the child under your care will grow up to be an independent, well-rounded, happy person.
Authoritative parents are different from Authoritarian parents in a way that while the former uses rules to empower their children, the latter uses them to terrorise them.
Characteristics of an authoritative parent:
- Involves their children in discussions regarding household decisions
- Empowers children more than intimidating or befriending them
- Gives importance to fairness and respect
- Promoted well-roundedness
- Allows scope for fail, while assuring support and guidance, if needed
Benefits of authoritative parenting
- Authoritative parents raise accountable children. They know that they are responsible for the decisions they take and the consequences that follow. Therefore, they do not rush into decisions.
- Parents who respect children are in fact teaching them, in turn, to respect others. From childhood, they learn social behaviours and gain good reputation among peers.
- Authoritative parents allow children to fail. They always scaffold them when they need to stand up on their feet and learn from their mistakes. Through this, they become resilient and gather the strength to overcome life’s challenges. It also increases their confidence and self-esteem.
- The children of authoritative parents become good leaders as they are raised to be independent. They possess good emotional intelligence as well that helps them shine in leadership roles.
- Children are trained to be independent. That does not mean that they are devoid of any support from their parents. They are given all the resources and tools to build their skillset but they will have to do it on their own.
Drawbacks of authoritative parenting
- It is difficult to strike a balance between the different extremes of parenting. It comes with a lot of trial-and-error method and enormous practice.
- It may test the patience of parents whose children are going through the stormy age of adolescence.
- It may be tiring to hold on to principles and not human instincts for a long duration of time.
Tips to implement authoritative parenting
- Instead of establishing rules and then negotiating their implementation, it is better to involve the child in rule making so that they understand the importance of following them as well.
- Mock situations can be played out at home in order to teach them how to respond to situations.
- Ensure participation of children in the kitchen. In case they are not happy with the meal prepared, let them make one of their own instead of starving or demanding for another one.
The bottom line
Authoritative parenting is considered as one of the best methods of parenting by psychologists around the world. But the best method is the one that works for you and your child and its realisation comes with a lot of practice.