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Blog
How you parent your child will profoundly impact their development, personality, and behaviour. However, it’s also important to remember that there is no one correct way to parent. Diverse situations and backgrounds will call for different ways to support a child’s needs while addressing how to apply rules, discipline, and boundaries.
There are several parenting styles classified and explored by phycologists, and there is no one correct method for how you choose to raise your children even among families exercising a specific parenting style, there can be significant differences in their approach. This can make finding childcare services challenging for families looking for a centre that complements a specific parenting style.
This blog will explore several of the most common parenting styles and offer advice on choosing a childcare facility in Surrey that can support your parenting choice.
Authoritative Parenting
Authoritative parenting is considered by many to be the most effective and balanced parenting style. Authoritative parenting involves setting clear rules and boundaries while supporting and guiding the child. Parents and caregivers following this style encourage independence and self-regulation while maintaining open lines of communication and a warm and nurturing relationship with the child.
Permissive Parenting
Also known as indulgent parenting, permissive parenting is characterized by low expectations, minimal rules and a focus on being loving, nurturing, and highly responsive. These parents allow their children to make their own decisions and rarely enforce consequences for bad behaviour. Permissive parents are warm and responsive but may be reluctant to say no to their children which can sometimes lead to a lack of boundaries and discipline.
Authoritarian Parenting
Authoritarian parenting is a stringent form of parenting characterized by high control, strict rules, and minimal support and warmth. Children are expected to follow strict rules with little to no input or control. Punishments are often used to teach lessons and encourage obedience, and open dialogue between parents and children is limited.
Free-Range Parenting
Free-Range parenting encourages children to explore the world on their own, providing them with more independence and freedom in their activities and choices. The free-range parenting style promotes independence, creativity, and self-reliance with minimal supervision. However, it also poses risks of danger as children may not have the experience or knowledge to navigate potentially hazardous situations.
Helicopter Parenting
On the other end of the spectrum is helicopter parenting. While many helicopter parents start with good intentions, this style of parenting is often characterized by an intense degree of over-parenting, over-controlling, over-protecting, and over-perfecting. Children of over-involved parents can sometimes find themselves unable to navigate real-world situations independently.
Choosing Child Care Services that Support Your Parenting Style
The best way to choose a child care centre that compliments your parenting style is by visiting multiple centres, spending time in each one, observing, and talking to the staff. Certain types of childcare centres, like play-based learning centres, may align with the parenting styles of many different kinds of parents, while other parents in similar situations may find that a Montessori centre most closely matches their parenting style at home.
The most crucial factor to consider when choosing child care services is to pick a provider you feel comfortable with who is willing to respect your parenting choices in a centre that can offer a diverse curriculum and range of activities that will keep your child motivated, engaged, and happy.