This assignment is due in this module.
This assignment aligns with Learning Outcomes 1, 2, and 4.
Directions
For this assignment, you will write a journal that will explore parenting styles and how it affects adolescent’s behavior. We learned about parenting styles in Chapter 6. Continue to research Baumrind’s parenting styles on the Internet. Reflect upon your experiences with parenting styles. This could be an analysis of the parenting style your parents used while raising you or a description of the parenting style you use with your children. Explain why you chose this parenting style and either the negative and/or positive influences of the particular parenting style, and provide a specific example of an experience that illustrates this parenting style from your life experiences. Do not forget to cite your sources using APA style format.
Write 4 to 5 paragraphs using your own words. Do not forget to cite your sources using APA style format.
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Grading
This journal is worth 85 points toward your final grade and will be graded using the Journal Rubric. Please use it as a guide toward successful completion of this assignment.
Reflective Journal: Parenting Styles
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Reflective Journal: Parenting Styles
Parenting has a significant influence on the development of a child and also impacts child-parent relationships. Parenting styles refer to the collection of parental behaviors and attitudes towards their offspring which create a climate where the behaviors of both the child and parent are expressed (Bi et al., 2018). Families are very diverse units and as a result, numerous parenting styles influence child-parent interactions. Children develop their values, behavior, and social norms from how they interact with their parents (Kuppens & Ceulemans, 2018). The purpose of this reflective journal is to present my experience with parenting styles.
To further explore parenting experiences, it is important to understand different types of parenting. Diana Baumrind was a psychologist who generally categorized parenting styles into authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive styles. Authoritarian parents exhibit minimal support to their children and have high demands. Such parents set rules and demand their children to obey them without question. Permissive parents are very supportive and very lenient such that their children are not expected to adhere to any rules. Authoritative parents have reasonable expectations for child behavior and focus on communicating effectively with them. Such parents are supportive but at the same time, give their children room to make mistakes and learn from them. Apart from Baumrind’s categories, Martin and Maccoby added a fourth parenting style called the neglectful or uninvolved style where parents reject their children and do not take any efforts to fulfill their responsibilities. Uninvolved parents do not show any support to their children and do not provide for them which results in poor physical, mental, and psychological development for the child (Bi et al., 2018).
The main experience I have had with parenting styles is the interaction I had with my parents since I was a child. My parents mostly took the authoritarian approach as illustrated in the manner in which my siblings and I were treated. I selected the authoritarian approach because my childhood home was controlled by strict rules that were mostly set by my father. We were always expected to be on our best behavior and to follow all rules without questioning them. Talking back to either of my parents was also not allowed regardless of the situation. I remember getting severe punishments for simply talking back when I felt that my parents were being unfair. The severity of the punishments forced us to always follow rules. My father was a rather cold person because he did not exhibit any positive emotions even when we achieved something in school. Since we were all expected to have good grades, we always performed well and our father never recognized this. My mother, on the other hand, was more nurturing although she seemed afraid of my father so she was only warm and loving when he was not around. My father often scolded her for being easy on the children and spoiling them.
Authoritarian parenting can help reinforce good behavior among children because they are taught to follow rules. Children with authoritarian parents also tend to be more goal-driven. However, there are many negative impacts of authoritarian parenting including poor social skills, low self-esteem, emotional withdrawal, and rebellious children (Kuppens & Ceulemans, 2018). My experience with parenting styles significantly impacted my social and academic life. I feel that the only positive impact of growing up with authoritative parents is that I am a highly disciplined individual who tends to follow through with all goals I set for myself. I also tend to follow rules and have never gotten in trouble at school and with the law. However, I feel that the negative impacts outweigh the positive impacts. For instance, I feel that am too dependent on rules and tend to be confused and insecure in situations where there are no guidelines. I also battled with severe low self-esteem as a teenager because I could not interact well with my peers. I still have social anxiety because of low self-esteem, poor social skills, and inability to express my emotions. Although I was never rebellious, all my siblings defied my father’s rules as teenagers and young adults and this brought a lot of discord in the family.
The authoritarian parenting style also has a negative impact on child-parent relationships. Children with authoritarian parents have a hard time connecting with their parents and may also detest their parents in the long run (Hirata & Kamakura, 2017). For instance, due to harsh parenting, my father and I have always had a strained relationship despite any efforts I have made to connect with him.
Conclusion
Parents use different styles when engaging with their children. From my experience, the authoritarian parenting style has more negative impacts on children than positive impacts. Authoritarian parents tend to reinforce discipline and total obedience but fail to connect with their children which in turn leads to low self-esteem, poor social skills, and poor child-parent relationships. Children with authoritarian parents are also more likely to be rebellious. In the future, I intend to adopt the authoritative parenting style to ensure that I communicate well with my children and help them develop better self-esteem and social skills.
References
Bi, X., Yang, Y., Li, H., Wang, M., Zhang, W., & Deater-Deckard, K. (2018). Parenting Styles and Parent-Adolescent Relationships: The Mediating Roles of Behavioral Autonomy and Parental Authority. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02187
Hirata, H., & Kamakura, T. (2017). The effects of parenting styles on each personal growth initiative and self-esteem among Japanese university students. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 23(3), 325-333. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2017.1371614
Kuppens, S., & Ceulemans, E. (2018). Parenting Styles: A Closer Look at a Well-Known Concept. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28(1), 168-181. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1242-x