In every corner of the world, there is one common thing among parents: they all want to see their children happy, healthy and successful when they grow up.
Parenting is the name of a unique journey that isn’t bounded by a predefined set of rules where there is no right or wrong way. It includes the transition of a baby through all of life’s stages, from infancy to adulthood. This process is known as child rearing.
The term child rearing refers to the process used to bring up a child. Good parenting practices include reading to children, eating breakfast or dinner together as a family at least five out of seven days a week, having clear rules regarding television viewing, and facilitating children’s participation in extracurricular activities.
Parenting styles can be divided into four categories: authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, uninvolved/neglectful.
Parenting Styles of Child Rearing
Did you know that the way you are raising your children, the rules you set for them, and the amount of play time you allow them all fall under one of the four parenting styles?
These are the different parenting styles:
Authoritarian Parents
Authoritarian parents are the ones who set strict rules and boundaries that their children have to follow. These parents are inflexible and cut their children no slack when obedience is questioned.
They believe that punishment is the best way to discipline their child and go to harsh limits when the orders are not followed. They don’t interact or communicate with their children about their behavior.
There is a noticeable difference in the children of people who follow authoritarian parenting since they are reserved and lack self-esteem. They are often rude to their classmates and have difficulty completing activities.
Authoritative Parents
In an authoritative parenting style, the parents are neither extremely strict nor overly indulgent, establishing an excellent balance between the two. They set appropriate boundaries and reasonable expectations for their children and provide their kids with appropriate reasons behind the rules.
They have good relationships with their children and consider their mistakes as part of the learning process. They listen to their children and help them solve their problems.
Children of authoritative parents tend to perform well academically since they have high self-esteem and are socially active.
Permissive Parents
Parents who are over-loving and over-caring fall under this parenting style.
These types of parents are forgiving and don’t feel suitable for inflicting their will on their kids. They don’t set any boundaries or have no consequences when their kids don’t follow rules.
Permissive parents tend to give full control to their children with no behavioral expectations or limits. The children of such parents are allowed to do whatever they want and get to have whatever they like.
Permissive parents extend no guidance as their children grow. Children raised by such parents tend to become egocentric and lack self-control. They are usually impulsive and frustrated, trying to function within the expectation of society.
They may find it difficult to adapt to adulthood as they lack the experience of molding their wishes to the expectations of others.
Uninvolved/Neglectful Parents
Children who have uninvolved parents are left to make their own decisions with minimal to no communication with their parents.
Uninvolved parents don’t bother to enquire about their children’s well-being. As a result, the children have zero discipline and feel ignored.
Which Parenting Style is The Most Effective?
In America, 15% of parents have a permissive parenting style, 15% have an authoritarian style, 37.25% follow authoritative parenting, and you’ll be surprised to know that 37% of parents follow a neglectful parenting style.
Based on this ratio, authoritative parenting is hands down the best style to emulate.
What is Your Parenting Style?
While you may have heard of other parenting styles from the media, including helicopter parenting, tiger parenting, or free-range parenting, many of these ideologies are extensions of the parenting styles mentioned above.
We raise children in a variety of ways, and ideally, we tend to modify our parenting style to meet the needs of our children.
What are The Purposes of Child Rearing?
The main purpose of child rearing is to promote and support the emotional, intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual development of a baby from infancy to adulthood.
6 Stages of Child Rearing
The Preparation Stage
The preparation stage is the very first and essential stage of parenting in which every couple needs to plan the life they will provide for their child, even before it is born. They pre-plan responsibilities, roles, sleep, and their social life to balance how they are going to manage when the baby arrives.
Changing Expectations
This is the stage many parents face when their child is an infant. In this stage, most parents must face the discrepancy between the life they imagined for their child and the life they are struggling to give. Such difficulties are mostly due to the changes that come about when a child’s demands require a separate effort for which the parent has prepared.
The Authoritative Stage
This stage begins when the child is growing into a toddler and sees and listens to their surroundings. It requires more care, love, and understanding from parents so that they can raise their children to know right from wrong.
The Interdependent Stage
This term of parenthood is all about parents noticing both minor and major differences in their child’s likes and dislikes and acting accordingly. This stage can bring changes in the parent-child relationship when they try to control bothersome habits.
The Departure Stage
The departure stage is commonly about parents letting their children live according to their preferences because now their kids are turning into adults. Parents begin to play lesser roles in their child’s life. The departure stage results in parents witnessing their child achieve goals in life.
10 Useful Parenting Tips
These are the best and most successful child-rearing practices to raise a disciplined child.
Harsh Discipline is Not Helpful
Abiding by this principle is one of the best child-rearing practices. Most parents think that hitting or spanking their child will teach them discipline when, in reality, this is the worst thing you can do to your kids. According to studies, kids who have been hit or spanked in childhood are more likely to become bullies as they grow up.
This is their way of exerting aggression, by hitting their peers and even their siblings. You wouldn’t want your kids to end up like this, would you?
As we have learned from the authoritarian parenting style, children of such parents turn out to be angry and frustrated and tend to take out their frustration on others, including pets.
There’s no wonder that when you hit your child in Ireland, you can be punished by law since it is illegal, and rightfully so. No matter the severity of the wrong, beating your child isn’t the best way to teach them a lesson.
Sit down with him or her, set boundaries and rules, and remember that communication is the key to correcting your child. Keep in mind that hitting your child is not an option and should always be off the table.
Explain the Rules You Set For Your Kids
As a mother, this is where I have seen many parents go wrong during child-rearing. You expect your kids to behave a certain way or learn a certain value, which is totally okay.
But remember that you have to clearly explain the logic behind those expectations to them, keeping their age bracket in mind, which most parents forget.
Raising kids demands that you sit down with your child and communicate why you have set certain rules as well as the consequences if they do not follow them. Your child will never understand the importance of something until you explain it.
Get Involved But Not Too Involved in Your Child’s Life
The secret behind successful child-rearing is being there for your kids. This is the foundation for building a healthy relationship with your little ones and gaining their trust.
Although it isn’t easy, trust me that once you get there, it’ll be worth all the dedication and hard work you’ve put in.
Now, what does getting involved in your kid’s life mean? Getting involved in your child’s life simply means putting your kid first at all costs. Prioritize his needs before yours.
There will be times when you’ll have to reschedule your commitments to be there for your kid, both emotionally and physically.
The critical takeaway here is learning the difference between being involved and being too involved. Remember, you don’t want to hijack your kid’s life; they still need some space.
Avoid Being Too Loving
This is specifically for those parents who might have one kid and want to give them the world. There is nothing wrong with wanting to give them everything they want, but you should not over-love your child.
It is extremely important to know when to set rules as this will help your kids in the long run and lower their expectations for life beyond childhood.
Be Patient and Calm
Patience is a quality that few parents possess. I have seen parents lose their temper with kids which is not good at all. This is common when both parents are busy working and have minimal time to get things done. When they fail, they lose their temper.
As a consequence, it scares your child away from you and your child won’t feel comfortable running to you when something happens. Instead, they’ll hide concerns from you.
Try to keep it together even when your child fails to achieve good grades or doesn’t perform well in extracurriculars.
Eat With Them
A little bonding time goes a long way! What better time is than eating together?
It might not be possible for you to eat all of your meals together, but try to have at least one meal (preferably dinner) together every day.
Talk to your kids about how their day went, ask them about school, listen to their concerns, and provide solutions for their problems.
After all, the family who eats together stays together!
Each One Of Your Actions Matters
Your kid learns 60% from the actions of the family. Parents who fight in front of their children leave an impact on their mental health which messes with them for the rest of their lives.
The same goes for children who have abusive parents or have seen one of their parents hit the other.
For this reason, be careful what your child is witnessing at home or in his surroundings.
Be Clear
Children may struggle to understand all you tell them, especially if you don’t express it clearly and precisely.
Spend some time explaining things to your kid. Assist them in interpreting the information you provide.
If at all feasible, break things down as simply as possible. Forgetting to do so causes your child to misinterpret many things.
Give Respect to Gain Respect
Respect is a two-way street. Remember that in order to gain respect from your kids, you’ll have to give them respect first.
Talk to your kids politely, avoid unnecessary restrictions, and give them space.
Let Them Choose Their Battles
There are times when your little ones will whine, cry, pout or be moody. You don’t need to react to it immediately.
Sometimes all they need is for you to respond which may come in the form of listening or even a hug. The last thing they want in such situations is for you to intervene.
Common Principles of Raising a Child
Discipline
Children’s conduct is influenced by the presence or lack of punishment. Children require clear, consistent discipline that includes punishment that is motivated by love in order to behave well.
Education
It is critical to cultivate children’s skills and guide them in their academic endeavors. Parents who spend time with their children will have a greater understanding of their children’s abilities, interests, and dislikes. Parents should assist their children in strengthening and expanding their talents. Children should not be compelled to learn new skills or choose a career just because their parents desire it.
Guidance
Proper guidance assists kids in controlling their emotions, making sound decisions, and interacting effectively with their classmates.
Spirituality
It is critical to infuse moral principles and spirituality in children. Learning to distinguish between good and bad in childhood will have long-term consequences, even into adulthood.
Final Thoughts: Why is Child Rearing Important for Your Kids?
We live in rapidly changing times, and in today’s world, we want a promising future for our children. To make sure we achieve that, child-rearing plays an important role.
With the help of child-rearing, we can teach our kids values like empathy, independence, morals, mindfulness, ethics, and much more, since our goal as a parent is to raise our children with great personalities so they can change the world.
