There are three parenting styles: authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive (laissez-faire). Parenting styles directly relate to a child's behavior, as shown by an NPR article. The article discusses a survey of 5,000 students between 7th and 12th grade and their use of alcohol. Questions were also asked about each student's parents, including rules, curfews, and oversight.
Stephen Bahr, a professor of sociology at BYU, stated that "while parents didn't have much of an effect on whether their teens tried alcohol, they can have a significant impact on the more dangerous type of drinking." This more dangerous drinking includes binge drinking (five or more drinks in a row) and heavy drinking (drinking on a consistent basis).
Results of the study showed that teens being raised by permissive parents were three times as likely to abuse alcohol than teens raised by authoritative parents. This is because these teens were given much warmth and praise from their parents, while receiving few consequences for bad behavior. Teens with permissive parents tend to be more rebellious than their peers.
Teens with authoritarian parents are less likely to internalize values and understand why drinking is a poor choice because their parents are so strict that no decisions are left to their own judgment. These teens are twice as likely to drink, and are usually passive in comparison to other teens.
This issue presents the question of "why?". What causes parents to be too permissive or too authoritarian? Do they think that their way is best and simply not understand more effective ways of parenting? Are they pressured to respond to their teenagers in certain ways by other adults?
Personally, I choose not to drink because at a younger age, chances of chemical dependency are much higher and I am not a person who enjoys losing control. I feel like besides stories I've heard from my parents, they haven't affected the choices I've made. My parents are very "My way or the highway" because they both grew up in chaotic households, my mom was one of four and my dad moved a lot, so they both like having control over their home environment, but when it comes to this kind of stuff, I don't think they want to tell me what to do because they want me to make the right choices on my own. My parents also are not the most social so I don't think they were heavily influenced by other adults, other than maybe my moms sisters.
ReplyDeleteI feel parents can try to be the middle ground, but it doesn't always work. No matter what, a parent has choices on how to react during certain situations. I don't know of many parents who say, "Oh, I chose to be a Permissive parent." or "I think authoritarian parenting is the right way to go." Also, parenting can't be put down to a strict science, so you can't say that this way is the best way to parent. Parents want to have successful children, and so they try to parent them in those directions rather than others.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I feel that just because a parent may be more "permissive", doesn't mean the teenager will rebel more. My parents are more on the permissive-side, but it doesn't mean I take advantage of them. In fact, just the opposite, in my opinion. Because my mom is easy-going and not too strict, I am able to have such a close relationship with her. As cheesy as this may sound, she is like a best friend. Since I respect her so much, I wouldn't want rebel in such a way, as to lose her trust. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I believe it is all relative. I don't think there is one "right" or "best" way to parent, nor do I necessarily think that a child's actions are because of how they were raised. Yes, sometimes it might be, but I do think other factors contribute. At this age, I believe that who people hangout with have a greater influence on them than their parents.
ReplyDeleteHi Liesel,
ReplyDeleteYes, very generally speaking there are 3 parenting styles, and the data you draw on are interesting. I really like the link you provide as a means of situating the debate in a particular conversation. What would be nice here, though, is a little more of YOU. Here you clearly present the terms of the argument and then pose questions, but your own take on the issues could be clearer. How do you see these issues through the lens of your critical apparatus?