The Best Style for Parenting Today
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios


Defined Tag: Parenting Today.

Parenting today is certainly very different from parenting in the 1950's and 1960's. Although parenting styles remain the same, there has been an emphasis shift as to which styles are more predominant for parenting today.

The permissive parenting style, for example, was very popular in the 50's and 60's. As a reaction to the dictatorships of other nations during World War II, parents took more of a hands-off approach of parenting. This allowed the children to make their own decisions and think for themselves. When the children misbehaved, parents usually did little to correct it. Unfortunately, children raised by permissive parents have trouble in a populated society and have difficulty conforming to rules of the workplace. When misbehavior is ignored, children are given no boundaries as to the right and wrong way to behave. This can lead to aggressive behavior later in life, especially in trying to meet their own desires.

The authoritarian parenting style, too, was popular in the sock-hop era. The "my way or the highway" approach instills in the child that there is only one correct way of doing things - the parent's. This teaches the child that only one authority figure is right and the children have trouble finding their own way. Consequently, some children might fall into listening to an undesirable element, not knowing if it is the correct one.

Parenting today might command more of an assertive-democratic parenting approach. With this style, children are given guidelines for behavior. Although they are given the latitude to make their own decisions and to take responsibility for themselves, they are disciplined appropriately when they cross the pre-established boundaries. Parenting today also involves the parents working with the children in a problem-solving mode in order for the child to learn alternative ways to satisfy their desires. Children who are overly out of control will be given a time-out instead of being punished.

In today's society, where everything is fast-paced and changes quickly, the assertive-democratic parenting style is appropriate. Choices are plentiful today, and it is important to teach the children to arrive at a good decision, as there is more than one "correct" way to approach something. Children raised by assertive-democratic parents are able to meet change head-on, can make decisions, accept responsibility, and have the tools to thrive in the collaborative workforce.

BIG Mike is a well known author, developer and Adsense expert as well as the owner of Niche Maniacs - a unique Adsense Marketing System designed to build long-term passive income streams from Adsense, Amazon, YPN, Chitika and other PPC services.