One of the most interesting things about being a parent is that there is a great contrast in how we raise our children. At the very same time, there are many commonalities from one parent to the other. Your parenting style defines you as a parent. We all have an unique approach to parenting. Some believe in strictness, rules, punishments while others believe in pampering, handling their child with immense love, etc.
The parenting style refers to the combination of strategies that you use to raise your children. Children go through various stages in life, therefore parents create their own parenting styles from a combination of circumstances that evolve over time as children begin to develop their own identities. During the stage of infancy, parents try to adapt to a new lifestyle in terms of adjusting and bonding with their new infant. Developmental psychologists differentiate between the relationship between the child and parent, which ideally is one of attachment, and the relationship between the parent and child referred to as bonding. In the stage of adolescence, parents encounter new challenges, such as adolescents soliciting and desiring freedom.
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These are some of the Parenting Terms:
1. Helicopter Parenting A helicopter parent is a parent who pays an extremely close attention to a child’s experiences and problems, particularly at educational institutions. The reason behind the name “helicopter parents” is, like helicopters, they “hover overhead”, overseeing every aspect of their child’s life constantly. Helicopter parenting most often applies to parents who help their school or college-aged children with tasks they’re capable of doing alone (for instance, calling a teacher about poor grades, arranging a special class schedule, or managing exercising habits). However, helicopter parenting can apply at any age.
2. Tiger parenting is strict or demanding parenting. Tiger parents push and pressure their children to obtain high levels of academic achievement or success in high-status extra-curricular activities such as music, using authoritarian parenting methods.
3. Free-range parenting is the concept of raising children in the spirit of encouraging them to function independently and with limited parental supervision, in accordance with their age of development and with a reasonable acceptance of realistic personal risk. Free-range parents allow their kids to earn independence, and that’s why they’re granted more freedom and responsibility gradually. The main focus resides on showing kids that they are independent and capable of trying new things and thus accomplishing hard tasks on their own.
4. Snowplow parenting – a person who constantly forces obstacles out of their kids paths. They have a keen focus on the future success of their child, and anyone or anything that stands in their way has to be removed. Snowplow parents may also micro-manage when it comes to diet and education, but they do so with an eye always on the future. They want to remove any pain or difficulties from their children’s paths so that their kids may succeed. They are the parents sitting in the principal’s office asking for extra courses or special allowances for their child. According to educators, there is a sense of entitlement to “snowplowers”: they blame the school when things go wrong and never accept anything less than first place for their child.
No one is a born parent. Parenting is all about the hit and trial method. You need to find yourself, what suits you best for you. No matter how much you read books or online information, this is something that works differently for every individual. So, it is preferred that you observe yourself where you are lacking and how you can overcome that part. Seek professional help without guilt. See what best suits your child. And never forget you are amazing parents and it’s okay if you fall in the beginning. As it gives you an opportunity to stand up again and this time much stronger!
Good luck!