Parenting Styles
 Ideas about parenting can be grouped into three styles. These are
different ways of deciding who is responsible for what in a family.
 Most parents have a mix of these three parenting style. Using just one
is not the best choice for parenting.
Authoritarian
 Authoritarian parents always try to be in control and exert their
control on the children.
 These parents set strict rules to try to keep order, and they usually do
this without much expression of warmth and affection.
 They attempt to set strict standards of conduct and are usually very
critical of children for not meeting those standards.
 They try to make their children obey and they usually do not provide
children with choices or options.
 Authoritarian parents tend to focus on bad behavior, and children are
scolded or punished, often harshly, for not following the rules.
Permissive
 Permissive parents give up most control to their children.
 Parents make few, rules that are usually not consistently enforced.
 They don't want to be tied down to routines. They want their children
to feel free.
 They do not set clear boundaries or expectations for their children's
behavior and tend to accept however the child behaves.
 They tend to accept a child's behavior, good or bad, and make no
comment about whether it is beneficial or not.
 They may feel unable to change misbehavior, or they choose not to
get involved.
Democratic Or Authoritative
 Democratic parents help children learn to be responsible for
themselves and to think about the consequences of their behavior.
 Parents do this by providing clear, reasonable expectations for their
children and explanations for why they expect their children to behave
in a particular manner.
 They monitor their children's behavior to make sure that they follow
through on rules and expectations. They do this in a warm and loving
manner.
 They often, "try to catch their children being good" and reinforcing
the good behavior, rather than focusing on the bad.
 Parents who have a democratic style give choices based on a child's
ability. For a toddler, the choice may be "red shirt or striped shirt?"
For an older child, the choice might be "apple, orange or banana?"
 Parents guide children's behavior by teaching, not punishing. "You
threw your truck at Mindy. That hurt her. We're putting your truck
away until you can play with it safely."
Disciplining Your Child
 It's important to be consistent when it comes to discipline. If you don't
stick to the rules and consequences that you set up, your child isn't
likely to either.
Ages 0 to 2
 Babies and toddlers are naturally curious. So it's wise to eliminate
temptations and no-nos.
 When your crawling baby or toddler heads toward an unacceptable or
dangerous play object, calmly say "No" and either remove your
child from the area.
 It's important to not spank, hit, or slap a child of any age. Babies and
toddlers are not able to make any connection between their behavior
and physical punishment. They will only feel the pain of the hit.
Ages 3 to 5
 As your child grows and begins to understand the connection between
actions and consequences, explain to kids what you expect of them
before you punish them for a certain behavior.
 While you become clear on what behaviors will be punished, don't
forget to reward good behaviors.
 Be specific when doling out praise; don't just say, "Good job!"
 If your child continues an unacceptable behavior no matter what you
do, try making a chart with a box for each day of the week.
 Keep track of any misbehaviour so the child can see it visually.
 This will give your child (and you) a concrete look at how it's going.
 Once this begins to work, praise your child for learning to control
misbehaviour.
Ages 6 to 8
 Timeouts and consequences are also effective discipline strategies for
this age group.
 Again, consistency is crucial, as is follow-through. Make good on any
promises of discipline or else you risk undermining your authority.
 Be careful not to make unrealistic threats of punishment in anger,
since not following through could weaken all your threats.
Ages 9 to 12
 Kids in this age group — just as with all ages — can be disciplined
with natural consequences.
 As they mature and request more independence and responsibility,
teaching them to deal with the consequences of their behavior is an
effective method of discipline.
 It's natural for parents to want to rescue kids from mistakes, but in the
long run they do kids a favor by letting them fail sometimes.
Ages 13 and Up
 By now you've laid the groundwork. Your child knows what's
expected and that you mean what you say about the consequences of
bad behavior.
 Don't let down your guard now — discipline is just as important for
teens as it is for younger children.
 Just like the 4-year-old who needs you to set a bedtime and stick to it,
your teen needs to know boundaries, too.
 Set up rules regarding homework, visits by friends, curfews, and
dating and discuss them beforehand.

Your teen will probably complain from time to time, but also will
realize that you're in control.