From encouraging schoolwork and sports to modeling values (remember: They do as you do, not as you say!) parents exert enormous influence over their children's lives. They are, however, not the only on-the-ground influencers—especially after children enter school and begin interacting with the world at large.
How Can I Be a Good Parent?
To parent effectively, it’s not enough to simply avoid the obvious dangers like abuse, neglect, or overindulgence. Indeed, The National Academy of Sciences delineates four major responsibilities for parents: maintaining children's health and safety, promoting their emotional well-being, instilling social skills, and preparing them intellectually.
Numerous studies suggest that the best-adjusted children are reared by parents who find a way to combine warmth and sensitivity with clear behavioral expectations. Parents may find the Four C’s to be a helpful acronym: care (showing acceptance and affection), consistency (maintaining a stable environment), choices (allowing the child to develop autonomy), and consequences (applying repercussions of choices, whether positive or negative).
To learn more, see How to Be a Good Parent and Supporting Children's Education .
What Are Unhealthy Parenting Styles?
Not every parenting style is in a child's best interest. There is such a thing as overparenting, which can cripple children as they move into adulthood and render them unable to cope with the merest setbacks.
Two well-known examples of overparenting styles include "helicopter parenting," in which children are excessively monitored and kept out of harm's way, and "snowplow parenting," in which potential obstacles are removed from a child's path. Both can negatively impact a child's later independence, mental health, and self-esteem .
Of course, there is such a thing as too-little parenting, too, and research establishes that a lack of parental engagement often leads to poor behavioral outcomes in children. This may be, in part, because it encourages young people to be too reliant on peer culture. Ironically, overly harsh or authoritarian styles of parenting can have the same effect.
Ultimately, parents should strive to be loving but firm, while allowing children enough space to develop their own interests, explore independence, and experience failure.
Explore More About What's a Parent's Role?
For a comprehensive understanding of what's a parent's role?, read our complete guide: