Baumrinds Parenting Styles: Authoritative Style by Example

From the moment a child is born into the world, they are not only being molded into the person they will one day become, but they are also greatly affected by the way their parents have decided to raise them. The process of this is referred to as a parenting style. Children are influenced by the way their parents raised them, the society in which they live, and even by others in which they look up to. While parenting styles vary from one house to another, Baumrind categorized parents into one of three parenting styles. They are placed into a category based on the expression of warmth, communication, strategies of discipline, and expectations of maturity. The three styles include authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative parents. Growing up, my parents primarily used authoritative parenting to mold me into the person I am today.

Authoritative parents tend to value autonomy and conformity in their child. Parents who use this style of parenting realize that their child is not perfect. This type of parent takes the time to listen to their child, set realistic goals and expectations for them, give fair punishments when need be, and provide their children with explanations as to why a rule was made.

One reason I consider my parents authoritative is because throughout high school I was given a set curfew on week days and on the weekend. On the week days my curfew would usually be at 10:00 PM, compared to 11:00 PM on the weekends. Depending on where I was, who I was with, and what I was doing, the curfew would occasionally be adjusted. However, if I came home after my curfew my parents would give me a reasonable punishment. Some of the punishments I was given included getting my phone taken away or not being allowed to do any other activities with my friends for a few days.

Another way in which my parents use an authoritative parenting style is by setting realistic expectations for me. One expectation my parents currently have for me is to push myself to my fullest potential in college. If I am not receiving perfect grades, they do not get upset with me as long as I am doing my best to succeed. These goals and expectations do not only apply to school, they also apply to life in general. My parents have always had high expectations for me when it comes to being a good person. They expect me to be polite, respectful, and honest to them and others. I always try to my best to fulfill each of these expectations because I believe they are very important in order to succeed in life.

Overall, I believe that the conclusions of Baumrind’s theory involving authoritative parenting styles are accurate. According to Baumrind, children that were raised by authoritative parents interact well with peers, have high academic standards for themselves, and learn to internalize the standards through the explanations of the parent. After learning about each of these parenting styles in class and taking the time to think about them, I find each of these to be true about myself. In the future, I plan to use an authoritative parenting style on my kids just as my parents did on me. I believe this is a very effective way to raise a child because it gives children the right amount of freedom, while also establishing clear rules and boundaries for them to follow.     

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