– Parenting styles are generally transmitted from generation to generation. Parents behave with their children a lot like their own parents did with them. However, times change and parenting methods should be adapted in order to be successful. Education experts have described the most common parenting styles as follow, from (too) cool to (too) harsh: overprotective, permissive, authoritative, and authoritarian.

– Parents of preschoolers may think that their parenting style doesn’t really matter since school requirements are low at this stage. This is a perilous assumption. From the very first years, parents are setting ground rules that will influence their children’s behavior and outcomes for life. This is why understanding the differences between parenting styles can help to choose the best strategy and make the best decisions in this domain.

Here are the four main parenting styles, summarized by Dene Garvin Klinzing, professor of individual and family studies at the University of Delaware:

1. Overprotective: Parents want to protect their children from any pain or negative experiences.

2. Permissive: Parents are afraid to set limits and believe their children have to grow according to their own nature.

3. Authoritative: Parents set defined limits for their children and try to be good role models.

4. Authoritarian: Parents tend to underestimate their children and ignore their point of view.

Happy Family (ChildUp.com)

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