Many parents look into the different parenting styles and feel like they can’t be defined or put in a category. This is very true. There are so many varieties of parenting that it may be hard to settle into one.
It is still a good idea to look into the different parenting styles and take them all into consideration. Then you will want to create your own unique style using ideas from all of the different styles. You don’t have to parent by the rules, venture out and create your own rules.
The four main parenting types to look at are authoritarian (low love and high discipline), permissive (high love and low discipline), authoritative (high love and high discipline), and uninvolved (low love and love discipline). Each has traits you will like and each should be given a thorough examination.
Talk over all of your ideas with your spouse. Parents need to be together on big decisions like this. Make sure you go over all of the aspects involved in parenting. Think short term and long term with your decisions. Come to compromises where you differ in opinion. Make sure you can find ground where you can both stand.
Go over how each of you were raised. Make a list of the good and the bad things about your parent’s way of parenting. This will help you see the differences in your backgrounds and to find things to incorporate into your parenting. You may also find things that you feel you should avoid with your children.
Look at how your personalities will affect your parenting. When creating a parenting style you need to know that you will be able to stick to your decisions. For example, if you are very easy going then a strict set of rules won’t go far without your enforcement. Also if you are going to have a hard time allowing children to make their own choices, then you may want to take on more of an authoritarian role. If your personalities are very different then there may be lots of compromises made.
See how each of you would handle different situations with your children over the years. Some up with different scenarios and compare how you would each deal. This shows how united you will be when the time comes. Unity is the key to raising successful children.
Look at your current situation and where you hope you are in the future. Where you are in life will make a difference in your parenting. Young parents will find they think very differently as they mature with their children. If you are older parents then life experiences may make a difference in your parenting choices.
Be willing to reexamine and change your parenting with your children’s needs. They will change in temperament and development throughout their lives and you will have to adjust. They will also change in maturity and attitude which will bring about more need for you to make changes in your parenting.
With each child that you add to your family you will find need for discussion and change. At first it will be just with the parents and then it will bloom into family discussions. Make sure that your children understand the rules clearly. Have set disciplinary actions and make them known. Be sure that your expectations are clear and understood.
Be a flexible parent, you will need it in more ways than one. Be willing and open to change, but make sure that it is necessary first. Be true to yourself and to what is best fro your family.
Parenting viewpoints from parents in the trenches, because parenting doesn’t come with a manual. In addition to