Authoritative Parenting Also Means Supportive Parenting » Parent Plaza

When you ask the gurus they tell you that varying parenting styles produce varying results. Of the many different parenting styles identified by experts, the authoritative parenting style is considered as one of the most appropriate. The authoritative approach creates a demanding yet supporting environment. Demanding in the sense that the authoritative parenting style creates rules but unlike the authoritarian parenting system where the children cannot question the rules, the authoritative parenting style is interactive.

The knowledgeable people in the field of parenting all agree that children feel more secure and are happier human beings when they are given rules to live by. Having rules is important for children because these rules would give them a sense of security.

With the authoritative parenting style, the parents and the child often work together to defines the rules together and then agree to abide by those rules. Unlike in authoritarian parenting where the parents would like to stay over and above the rules, the authoritative parenting style promotes healthy interaction between parents and children thus creating a more supportive and cooperative atmosphere.

Promoting Authoritative Parenting in the Home

It is natural for kids to always seek guidance from their parents. That also implies that parents will always, to some degree at least, have some authority over their kids. When promoting the authoritative parenting style in your home, you should always let your kids know that you are the leader and that there are things that you are more knowledgeable about than your children.

Authoritative parenting is based on the principles of trust, mutual support and cooperation, and therefore your child must know that he/she can rely on you to be true to your word. If your child knows that you are serious and that you can be relied on to do what you said you would do, he or she is more likely to cooperate. Furthermore, it is always good to let the child know where he or she is standing.

Consistency is one of the primary cornerstones of authoritative parenting. You are your spouse should see to it that your decisions are not contradictory because this can confuse the child. If one spouse says no, the other should not say yes otherwise, the balance of power in the house will be disrupted and the child becomes disoriented.

Should it happen that you disagree with a decision made by your spouse or partner, never show your disagreement in front of the child. You and your spouse should talk things out in private and come up with a

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