Who Else Wants To Know About Authoratative Parenting?

My parents tried very hard. I suspect that most parents try very hard. But like most people, I think that I could do better than they did. You see, my parents were not the most authoritative parents. Really, they could never agree on a parenting style that worked for them. My dad was a permissive, uninvolved parent. He let me do whatever I wanted, and was largely unaware of my life. My mom, on the other hand, was very strict.  She was not into authoritative parenting. She was into authoritarian parenting. She believed that discipline was the most important thing in the world, and that I needed to learn to do what I was told.

The problem was that  their parenting styles did not match. My dad was lenient, which I liked, but was uninvolved with my life. My mom was quite interested in my life, but she had no interest in giving me any autonomy. Neither of them was an authoritative parent.  Neither of them was willing to make decisions, yet also to listen to my concerns. Because of this, I have had to deal with many problems growing up that people with proper authoritative parents do not have to deal with.

When I have kids, I will make sure to develop an authoritative parenting style. I think that authoritative parents make the best role models. You see, children need two things growing up. They need to know that their parents care, and they need to know that there are limits. Authoritative parenting embraces both of these concepts. Authoritative parents are not afraid to set limits, but at the same time they are always there to listen to their children. That way, the children grow up with rules, but at the same time they grow up with someone who is willing to take their input on matters that concern them. That is why authoritative parenting is better than other styles.

Of course, learning authoritative parenting is not as simple as reading a book, but it can start with reading a book. The problem with learning authoritative parenting is that you often have to unlearn everything that your own parents taught you. People tend to raise their children the way they were raised. To do it in any other way is an uphill struggle. Practicing authoritative parenting, in spite of coming from a dysfunctional household, will probably be difficult. I hope I'm up to the challenge.