Your child’s future behaviour depends a lot on the discipline strategy you use with him. It truly can impact his conduct, mood and personality.

Most parents never realize if the discipline strategy they have made is being helpful for their child. Child psychology experts hold the view that parents’ way of parenting contributes a lot in determining a child’s true nature. If the parenting style has flaws, your disciplinary approach will also lack genuineness.

Before you chalk out a discipline strategy, it’s important that you first analyze your own parenting style, its effects on your child and the end-results. If you feel that your parenting style isn’t appropriate, make the necessary changes in it and then plan out for a discipline strategy.

Here check out the 4 different parenting styles and get to know how each style differs from one another.

1. Authoritarian Parenting
This type of parenting stands synonymous to the dictatorship rule wherein one person dominates and the other one is compelled to oblige without asking any questions. Parents who follow the authoritarian style often lead their kids and nurture them by establishing different set of rules. It is mandatory for the child to follow the rules without fail and often, the child is never given a justified reason as to why he has been asked to follow a certain rule. Rules breaking often results to punishments.

For instance, an authoritarian parent would make the rule as ‘No TV after 8pm’. Well, the kid has no option other than abiding by this decree. He can’t challenge or seek a reason for the same. Even if he wants to know the reason behind or gets into an argument, the best answer that he probably would receive is ‘Because I’m saying so’.

Effect on Kids
Such kids stand to follow rules all their lifetime but they lack self-esteem and often give in to the demands of others. They never get the courage to speak for them and accept whatever they are subjected to. Sometimes, it can even have an opposite reaction. The child may become defiant against rules and turn rebellious which can completely deter their personality. 

2. Authoritative Parenting
This is probably the best form of parenting as it not just has room for rules but satisfactory reasons to explain the same. Parents who follow this style of parenting make rules for kids but keep them flexible. They explain to kids why a particular rule has been made and what can be the consequence if the rule is broken. Before setting limits, they try to understand child’s viewpoint about the same and consider his feelings too.

Say for example, if an authoritative parent makes the rule of not watching TV after 8, he will always explain it to the child why he is doing so. It won’t be a compulsion but a mutual understanding that comes from the end of both parent and child.

Effect on Kids
This style of parenting often raises happy and successful kids. The kids learn the art of decision making and feel responsible towards their behaviour. They express themselves clearly and value the opinion of others as well.

3. Permissive Parenting
This style of parenting is very lenient and doesn’t really work on any rule designing. They tend to ignore every aspect of child behaviour and may only come up with a firm rule when the matter turns extremely serious. They follow the notion ‘kids are kids’ very critically which often impacts their parenting.

As said, they don’t focus much on rules so a child is set free to do whatever he likes and the intervention happens only if a severe damage happens. For instance, a permissive parent may never regulate a child’s screen time. He or she will only take an action when the child faces a major problem owing to this habit like scoring less mark in exams.

Effect on Kids
Such kids have to face a lot of struggle not just academically but even at personal front. As they have never been bound by rules, any kind of authority or rule may make them rebellious. They battle behavioural problems and often complain of low self-esteem.

4. Uninvolved Parenting
This is quite on the lines of permissive parenting with the difference being that here the parents stand completely neglectful. They fail to fulfil a child’s basic needs and want the child to take care of his own self. They may have no knowledge about parenting and also stay unaware of child’s development. This often occurs due to a behavioural disorder in the parent or an abusive childhood.

They fail to give needed attention to kids and may not cater to their needs. The child has to manage everything on his own.

Effect on Kids
This results in behavioural problems in the child. A child, whose parents stand uninvolved fails at academics, has low-self-esteem and leads an unhappy life.

Conclusion
Now that you have become familiar with the different parenting styles, you can better analyze which category do you fall into and if at all your disciplining style is constructive.