Parenting Styles Affect Child’s Development

Parenting style is a determinant factor in a child’s development affecting not only a child’s psychological wellbeing but also the child’s social functioning.

Scenario:

You bring your child to the supermarket. Child wants to buy a packet of chocolate that he is not allowed to. Child is whining and making a fuss in the supermarket. How do you respond?

A: “I understand that you are a sweet tooth but you have had a candy just now. You may be a little hungry now, so maybe we get a packet of nuts or a bottle of yoghurt instead?”

B: “No. You had a candy bar just now, so you are not allowed to buy any sweets today. Let’s go now.”

C: “Oh yes sweetheart, anything that you would like to have.”

D: “Whatever.” (Parent does not care or ignore what the child takes)

*Check what parenting style you are adopting in the below table

---

Parenting style refers to how parents interact, educate and response to their child’s needs and requests. Parenting style is a determinant factor in a child’s development affecting not only a child’s psychological wellbeing but also the child’s social functioning. However, with the change of environment and society (such as the use of advance technologies in tablets, internet, smart phones, and computers at a much younger age, the upgrowing and expanding education system, and the materialistic dependent society), it is more difficult to rely on parenting tips from the past.

That is, how parents were taught when they were young, or how their grandparents were brought up decades ago may no longer apply in the current society. Since the environment and society is in constant change, should parenting styles not be modified to adapt to the current state? Many have reported that the main root cause of mental health problems and behavior problems is related to parenting styles at young age. Thus, parents should be aware of what parenting styles they are using and what impact those styles have on their child development.

Which type of parent style are you adopting? (In accordance to the answers given in the above scenario) Do you show the signs display as below?

Studies have suggested that preschool children raised with different parenting styles have different personality and social development. As children move into school and teenage years, the parent-child relationship changes. So what kind of parenting style help children become happy about themselves and be friendly with others as they aged?

The development of child depends on many factors such as child’s age, sex, temperament, parenting styles, parents’ personality, how parents were brought up, educational achievement, culture, socioeconomic status, and spouse affects. Depending on how all the factors as described just now progress, the below chart generalized how different parenting styles affects a child’s later development.

There are many parenting styles as there are parents depending on culture and societal changes. Of course, not all children adapt to the same parenting styles. In such cases, individual parents will probably combine different teaching styles when dealing with their child.

Remember that children develop best when there is love and limits. Indulgence and neglectful with little guidance will not let them to learn self-control, resulting in selfishness, unorganized, and aimlessness. Too much guidance on the other hand will leave them little opportunities to learn self-reliance and result in lack of confidence and poor decision-making abilities. Clarify parenting values and implement them in warm, supportive, and appropriate demand ways to give your child the best benefit in growing.

By: Ms Jolene Yeo - SOL Psychologist