Using both permissive and authoritarian parenting styles to discipline our children entails the right combination of being strict and supportive.
What is your parenting style? Are you strict or lenient? Do you expect your kids to follow everything you say, or do you promote freedom of expression in your home?
According to Lisa Earle McLeod, author of The Triangle of Truth, there are two extreme sides to parenting – permissiveness and authoritarianism. Some parents are the free-to-be-you types who just allow their children to express their individuality in whatever way they want.
On the other hand, there are parents who are like army commanders who believe that special treatment is only for losers. They expect kids to always abide by the rules and give no allowances for mistakes.
All parents have their own style of raising their kids and they usually lean towards one particular type of parenting. But McLeod argues that parenting is not an “either-or” mentality. She wants parents to learn and understand the importance of mastering the art of “and.”
Children need unconditional love and discipline. They need to have support as well as guidance. On the other hand, they need to know that their parents still know what’s best for them even as they are given room to grow. McLeod says that it’s not about making compromises but about making the right combination of being strict and supportive.
This kind of thinking is interesting and challenging. Do you agree with McLeod’s point? Is it possible to be both authoritarian and permissive? How can you apply McLeod’s theory in your current parenting style?
Please share your insights in the Comments box below!
The Triangle of Truth is available at fullybookedonline.com (Php558)