Being a parent is one of the most difficult yet most rewarding jobs you can take on. Knowing the best way to respond to your child’s behaviour can be confusing, with mixed messages coming from other parents, friends, and the media.
Decades of research demonstrate that authoritative parenting is most effective in producing positive outcomes in children, such as improved emotional and behaviour control, good social skills, greater happiness, and increased self-confidence.
So what is authoritative parenting?
Authoritative parents:
- Express warmth and nurturance
- Acknowledge their children’s emotions
- Use rewards and positive consequences for desirable behaviours
- Listen to children and encourage them to express their opinions
- Allow autonomy and encourage independence
- Set clear, fair limits on behaviour and consistently enforce boundaries
- Through modelling the behaviours they wish to see in their children, authoritative parents teach their kids appropriate ways to behave and interact with others. Setting limits and consistent consequences ensures that children know what to expect and how to best behave in a given situation.
While this style of parenting has shown effectiveness for children of various temperaments, the specific parenting practices used should be tailored to the child. By talking to a highly skilled Psychologist, you can develop valuable parenting skills, learn what would work best for your child, and in turn improve family functioning and set your child up for success in life. To schedule a meeting or discuss your situation, contact Life and Mind Psychology at (02) 8559 0704.