Authoritative Parenting
Authoritative Parenting. What is Authoritative Parenting?
So much of parenting is invested in guiding teens to make the right choices. Parents struggle to achieve the right amount of control (I need you to do this!!!) with warmth and support (I need you to do this because I care about you and it is my job to think about your safety.)
Experts use parents’ balance between “control” and “warmth” to describe four parenting styles.
All parents hope to do the best for their children. A permissive parent may feel that shared experiences and the expression of trust is the best way to assure a child will make the right choices. An authoritarian parent likely believes the best way to show caring is to set firm boundaries and demand certain behaviors. Research demonstrates that a balanced approach is most effective in guiding teens toward positive behaviors.
This balanced approach to parenting is called authoritative parenting. Authoritative parents have clear rules, boundaries, and expectations, but rather than stating “You’ll do as I say,” they explain their reasoning. They help their children understand that rules exist not to control them, but to assure their safety. They demonstrate caring by being responsive to their children – listening to their concerns and when appropriate modifying expectations to fit circumstances. They recognize the importance of teenagers developing independence, and reward responsibility with greater privileges. Our research demonstrated that teens who said their parents set rules, knew their whereabouts and whom they were with, and were helpful and supportive, were safest in cars.
What does it mean to be “helpful and supportive?” Although “support” may be different in every family, it essentially means that the teen can count on the parent. It is important to realize that part of how teens judge parents’ reliability is that they know parents will prevent them from getting in over their heads. This means setting driving-specific rules and boundaries is being supportive.
Click here to set driving-specific rules and boundaries