How beneficial is authoritative parenting in raising a responsible and independent child?

For some parents, the phrase ‘authoritative parenting’ can sound rough, strict, or even scary. The word authority in the context of parenting can create many doubts and fears. 

But the truth is that it is essential as parents or responsible adults of a child to know how beneficial can authoritative parenting be, particularly for raising an independent and responsible child.

Learn a bit about fundamental aspects. What is the difference between authoritative and authoritarian parenting? What are the proven benefits of this parenting style? If you are interested in healthily raising your child, please, continue reading below.

What do you need to know?

The authoritative parenting style has been studied extensively by various branches of psychology, showing the benefits of this style. When parents exercise their role with healthy authority, far from harming or traumatizing children, they provide them valuable learning tools for their proper development and integrity.

In principle, it is vital to clarify that paternity that exercises authority is not abusive or controlling. It is simply a matter of establishing and providing basic rules transmitted and requested with firmness and clarity.

This will give children stability and structure, two essential pillars for their development as independent and balanced individuals. 

The authority is not exercised from the imposition but the parent’s self-confidence and love. This is important to clarify. The proper way to exercise your role as an authoritative parent is only possible in an environment of trust. If you have a healthy relationship with your son or daughter, you can establish limits and guidelines without complications. 

Healthy parent-child relationships are based on attachment, respect, and trust. Your authority would not be questioned or tested as your son or daughter would trust you and respect you. When there is no respect or trust as the basis in the relationship between parents and children, you would probably be practicing authoritarian parenting. You would end up imposing yourself, losing patience, and promoting a challenging attitude in your children.

Authoritative parenting involves warmth, kindness, sensitivity, and a lot of empathy. For example, when establishing ground rules, the nature of the rules should be discussed and explained to the child. Reasoning why rules are needed -why they are created-, will make the child more likely to follow them. 

Nobody can feel safe, protected, supported, and trustworthy following orders without understanding what is happening – or what is the reason.

Children are not machines that need a programmer to dictate the code they must follow. Children are people with their own reasoning who need guidance from their parents, not a system of control and submission.

The authoritative parenting style and the importance of setting limits.

It is fundamental to emphasize reasonable limit-setting from parents. Extremes are never good. An overprotective and controlling parent leads to unwanted results in raising their children. Same way, permissive parents build unfavorable paths for their development. 

Being a loving, respectful parent and providing support is essential for any parenting. But it has nothing to do with being permissive. A permissive parent who leaves all regulations to the child only contributes to the child growing up with little understanding of limits. This, in the long run, is unfavorable since the child is incapable of understanding and granting himself limits, especially in a world that he barely knows, unlike an adult.

Limits are the basis for self-esteem, self-knowledge, respect for oneself and others. These types of children will have problems in their personal relationships and in adapting to society. Many children raised by permissive parents, as opposed to authoritative ones, end up with behavioral issues. They can even harm themselves with addictions and risky behaviors, even delinquency.

It is also important to note that limits and rules should not be set violently or by force. That’s crucial for the child to understand that they come from an act of love and care from the wisdom of their parents, and they will not see it as an attack on their wishes and will. This also applies to the stage of adolescence.

But authoritative parenting is nothing new. Since the mid-sixties, a system is established to classify parents in the sciences of psychology. Here begins the differentiation between permissive parents, authoritative parents, and authoritarian parents. And the benefits of authoritative parenting are revealed to the world.

What are some of its benefits?

There are more than a few benefits from authoritative parenting. Mainly, we can observe that children raised with this type of parents are more independent and responsible. They are also adolescents who are academically more successful and generally well-behaved.

Another positive aspect that we can observe in children raised with authoritative parents is that they are less likely to suffer from depression or anxiety in their adolescence and adulthood.

They can understand the importance of respect for themselves and others. These children are exceptionally mature, capable of self-regulation, healthy adaptation to the environment, and balanced life. They also usually have a clear sense of responsibility. 

They are self-confident people from every point of view and capable of facing daily problems and challenges adequately. 

The correct implementation of limits in their childhood makes them not give in to pressure or obligations from other people. They know how to act freely and make their own decisions for themselves. 

They do not give in to coercion or abuse of power. Mainly because these children do not have parental imposition, they had parents who did not execute their authority under threats such as ‘if you don’t do this, you are in trouble!’. Nor autocratic demands as ‘do it now, ’cause I said so!’.

With this article, we hope we have given you elementary but valuable information about licensed parenting. Especially in these moments in which worldwide we seek to form better beings, raising every child from and for love.