Children and Young People

It is evident that parenting styles have changed and developed over the years, and it is very difficult to have a one-suits-all style.   We live in a very different world now from a few decades ago, but does this really mean that that our parenting styles should be dramatically different?   We are all aware that every parent and child is different, and it can depend on the type of upbringing of the parent, as to how they parent their own children.   This essay will examine Diane Baumrind’s three parenting styles: authoritarian, permissive and authoritative, and the effects they have on children’s behaviour.
John Bowlby stated that mother and baby attachments are of critical importance for all future attachments a person may form.   Earliest attachments that are either negative or positive can have a lasting effect on a child and how they develop in later life.   It is very difficult to work out the best and most effective way of parenting, and in some cases to a certain extent it might just be trial and error.  
Baumrind’s authoritarian style of parenting sets out strict rules and guidelines, which cannot be deviated from.   There seems to be no room for negotiation in this style, which could prove a very difficult style to uphold in the long term.   For example, I have experience of working in the Children’s Hearing system and seeing many examples of the authoritarian style of parenting with regard to a child truanting from school.   The more pressure the child is put under to attend school the more they rebel against their parents.   Also in the case of Thomas, he is starting react negatively towards his younger sister.   Thomas is used to having all the attention and now with the birth of his sister he has to vie for the attention of his parents. Initially the birth of Rowanna has had a negative effect on Thomas’ s behaviour.
To an extent the authoritarian style can set very good starting boundaries, but in the longer term it could be argued that the very strict...