Three kinds of parenting styles

I have heard the statement over the years that there are three kinds of parenting styles. Of course I always believed there were at least ten and then my own personal style. So, I decided to do some investigation and after reading the plethora of information out there, I decided that whoever said that there were three types of parenting styles was absolutely correct.

There might be different names for each, of the three kinds of parenting styles, but basically they fall into three categories. I choose the following names to identify each one. Oh, and No I am not going to tell you which one I am (Laughs). So what type of parent are you?

The Commander

Oh yes, we know this kind of parent. They command and direct the lives of their children. They do so with military precision.

1. These parents make a lot demands and usually are list writers that want to see the results of the commands they give.

2. They tell the teenager how to handle responsibility instead of letting them do it.

3. They tell the teen how to feel, how to act

4. They provide absolutes with no room for discussion.

5. Hates to wait. Whatever demands they make, they want them done yesterday!

6. They threaten. “You do this or else!”

7. Not prone to action, but will belittle and use harsh words

     8. Believe that punishment with pain and humiliation                              are great teachers.

The Hover Plane Parent
Ok here is another parent that I am sure both you and I have come across. They are the hoverers. This type of parent rescues their teenagers from the mean and cruel world they live in.

1. Provides messages of weakness and low personal worth

2. These parents will make excuses for their teenager, and yet they will complain about mishandled responsibilities.

3. These parents will take on the responsibilities of the teenager

4. They will work to protect their teen from anything negative, decisions or consequences.

5. This parent will make decisions for the child, most times without the teen even knowing

6. This parent talks and whines about having to take care of every little thing

7. This parent uses guilt to motivate and teach

8. Uses actions and words to always show the child that they are not capable of doing anything and that they must do it for them.

The Psychologist parent

Ah, this parent is the nurturer, the one that provides opportunity for growth and psychological services.

1. This parent will very seldom mention responsibility

2. They demonstrate how to be responsible

3. They are sharers and open the lines of communication

4. They give the teen every opportunity to explore the world.They work to explore possibilities but let the teenager decide the course.

5. They provide a time frame to get stuff done.

6. This parent is a great role model

7. They allow their teenagers to experience natural consequences to their actions

8. This parent will let the consequences of their actions teach them.

Now that you know what the three kinds of parenting styles are, then you can of course, know what kind of parent you are. You now have the direction to go with to become the type of parent you want to be. Parenting is a skill. We are not born with the innate ability to simply raise our children perfectly. Through learning and watching we can become better parents, which for me is a great goal.