Authoritative Parenting Style
By encouraging the growth of strong inner discipline and through treating children with respect, this parenting style also enhances the parents own emotional growth and development.

It is important to distinguish between an authoritative and an authoritarian parenting style.

Authoritative means to be dependable, reliable and convincing.

Authoritarian means to be strict, controlling and dictatorial.

These definitions certainly paint a clear picture of the differences between these two styles of parenting.

What are the Hallmarks of
Authoritative Parenting?

• The authoritative parent encourages independence, originality, open communication, and listens to the child's point of view as well as expressing his or her own, while at the same time maintaining a fairly high level of expectation from the child in terms of conduct and responsibilities.

• The authoritative parent believes in developing close, loving and nurturing relationships with their children, giving them clear, firm and consistent guidelines.

• Open communication encourages verbal give-and-take.

• Authoritative parents encourage their children's independence, individuality and creativity by being highly responsive toward the children and expecting a degree of responsiveness in return. In terms of demands, age appropriate behaviour is expected, along with clear standards and boundaries which are firmly set.

• Because children are encouraged to think for themselves, a high level of autonomy is achieved for the child. This is placed right alongside a balanced and disciplined conformity which is of equal value.

• Children of authoritative parenting style grow up experiencing safe boundaries, against which they are also encouraged to push and question in a mutually respectful environment.

• Authoritative parents exert firm control but do not hem the child in with restrictions. These children become socially responsible, able to control aggression, self-confident, and high in self-esteem.

• By encouraging independence, the child learns a high awareness of social responsibility through openly discussing how their actions will affect other people.

• Authoritative parents want their children to be assertive as well as socially responsible, and self-regulated and motivated as well as cooperative.

Development of the Child:

Parenting style has been found to predict child well-being in the areas of social competence, academic performance, psychosocial development, and behaviour problems.

Both parental responsiveness and parental demandingness are important components of good parenting.

Authoritative parenting, which balances clear, high parental demands with emotional responsiveness and recognition of child autonomy, is one of the most consistent family predictors of competence from early childhood through adolescence.

Authoritative Parenting Style - Consistent Parenting?

The authoritative parenting style fits most closely within the consistent parenting approach, as it is an 'enabling' style, which takes both parents and children into account.

Because the approach within the family is one of give and take, all family members are equally enabled in their personal growth.

Are you an authoritative parent?
Is this your style of parenting?

From Authoritative Parenting Style to

Permissive
Uninvolved
Authoritarian
Over-Protective Parenting Styles.

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