Parents play a significant role and are responsible for raising a child, so they must select the proper parenting style. How parents raise their children significantly impacts their children’s emotional and mental health, behavior, and future success. One type of parenting style is authoritarian parenting, characterized by strict rules, high goals, and a serious approach to discipline. This style has generated much discussion; some parents consider it good, but others have objections.
This article will discuss the pros and cons of authoritarian parenting and explore how it affects children, providing some routine life examples. We will contrast authoritarian parenting with other types of parenting, such as authoritative parenting, and then advise parents on how they can fully embrace this style without going to extremes. Let’s begin!
What Is Authoritarian Parenting?
There are various ways to parent, and every approach influences children’s behaviors and futures differently. The authoritarian style is known for its rigid, disciplined, authoritative nature. This style suggests that children require strict discipline, which will produce order and achievement in them.
Authoritarian parenting is a highly structured and controlling style characterized by the following:
-They are rules that cannot be altered or negotiated.
-Extraordinary demands on compliance and orderliness.
– There is little flexibility for the child.
– Discipline-based punishment does not consider the child’s reasoning abilities.
An example of authoritarian parenting could be sending a child to bed at 8 PM every day, rain or shine. Such parents think this helps the child become disciplined and prepared for future life experiences, which is essential for the child. This parenting style differs from the authoritative one, which emphasizes warmth and communication. Moreover, authoritarian parenting is problematic because the child is not nurtured emotionally, and thus, its overall growth is affected. If parents know this style inside and out, it can be appropriate for their family.
Pros of Authoritarian Parenting
Authoritarian parenting has many cons due to its strictness. However, when practiced intentionally, it also has pros. These pros appeal to parents who like order and discipline in the home and are more inclined to raise their children in a disciplined environment.
1. Teaching Respect and Responsibility
The most important advantage is that children become obedient and develop a sense of responsibility. More precise rules and expectations help the child understand their responsibilities better. Similarly, children raised by this type of parents learn to complete chores on time, adhere to timelines, and respect schedules, resulting in an orderly working personality.
2. Maintaining and Minimizing Hazards
Parents believe safety is of the utmost importance to their children. Safety measures and supervision lower the chances of children getting involved in harmful activities like taking drugs or alcohol. For example, a parent will set a rule on when their child should be home to protect them from bad situations and getting involved in something wrong.
3. Encouraging Academic Success
Authoritative parenting offers one of its most significant advantages: it helps children focus more on their academic lives. A survey shows that children raised with authoritarian parenting tend to be high-performing achievers. A strict and demanding learning environment, discipline, reasonable schedules, and high expectations help these children succeed in concentrating and organizing their studies. For example, ensure the child spends most evenings doing homework and avoids distractions, thus improving their grades.
4. Promoting Obedience
The other strength of authoritarian parenting is that it helps children develop respect for others. Such children grow up to be more polite to teachers and others. Children raised under authoritarian parenting are more obedient and disciplined. This point is helpful in more formal contexts, like schools or workplaces.
5. Minimizing the Risk of Behavioural Concerns
Authoritarian parents tend to reduce the number of behavioral problems in their children because they set high standards of conduct. The fear of consequences and the emphasis on discipline assist children in learning what is acceptable and what is not, thus reducing the chances of disobedience.
Cons of Authoritarian Parenting
Although the authoritarian parenting style has pros, its cons are said to be more. The cons are:
1. Lack of Emotional Connections with Parents
Many scholars state that the first drawback of authoritarian parenting is the lack of affection between parents and children. This parenting style creates stress in children and significantly sacrifices affection and attachment. Children become emotionally distant from their parents. Some children develop low self-esteem or feelings of rejection. Therefore, a significant drawback of authoritarian parenting is the lack of emotional connection with parents.
2. Lower Self-Esteem
The self-esteem of children raised under authoritarian parenting is usually low. They can never get any positive feedback, which causes them to have low self-esteem and doubt themselves. For instance, a child punished for any minor infraction may become a failure or incapable child. The children raised under this parenting style are mostly underconfident and doubt their capabilities.
3. Threat of Rebellion and Resentment
This con might sound hard to believe, but children can be rebellious, who are raised under authoritarian parenting. This usually happens because strict rules can sometimes prove counterproductive, particularly when the children reach a particular age. Children, especially teenagers, may rebel against authoritarian parents to gain independence. That rebellious nature results in secrecy, outright disobedience, and risky behaviors.
4. Lack of Good Social and Communications Skills
Another con of authoritative parenting is the child’s bad social and communication skills. The authoritarian style does not encourage the child to be communicative, which negatively impacts the child’s interpersonal relationships. They cannot find words to describe what they want, how the child wants it, or how the child feel because they are unaware of this concept. However, the more strict the parents are, the more the child will lack social and communication skills.
5. Mental Health Challenges
Now, we will discuss the significant drawback of the authoritarian parenting style: the mental health issues and challenges that it causes in children. The high expectations placed on a child and punishing them for failures contribute to the deterioration of the child’s mental health. It results in increased levels of anxiety, depression, and chronic stress in children—high parental standards pressure children, who may also lack the necessary support.
6. Constant Need for Approval
Growing up in authoritarian homes, children become people who require appreciation from the outside. For example, they can hardly make decisions independently or solve problems without prior directions. Therefore, these children require constant approval and validation from others, which creates self-doubt in them and makes them indecisive.
Authoritarian Parenting Examples
To have a better understanding of how authoritarian parenting plays out in real life, here are some routine life examples for you:
1. Strict Curfews: Parents require their children to return home by 7 p.m.; they always expect the child to be on time and will not allow the child to go anywhere afterward.
2. Punishment Over Explanation: A parent punishes a child by taking away their toys if the child spills drinks or makes a mistake.
3. Academic Pressure: Parents expect a teenager to score straight As, and if the teenager fails, the punishment is severe, regardless of the effort the child has put into their studies.
4. No Input Allowed: A parent makes every decision regarding the family, whether it concerns vacations or food; the parent does not allow the child to decide on these matters.
The examples above show how the authoritarian parenting style is severe and strict compared to the others.
Authoritarian Parenting Vs. Authoritative Parenting
Although both parenting styles are considered quite similar, there are significant differences between the authoritarian and authoritative types of parenting.
However, while both styles of parenting value discipline for the children, their approaches and ways differ significantly.
Following are the differences between parenting styles:
| Authoritarian Parenting | Authoritative Parenting |
| Focuses on obedience and control | Balances discipline with warmth and empathy |
| Rules are strict and non-negotiable | Rules are clear but flexible |
| Minimal communication or emotional support | Encourages open dialogue and mutual respect |
| Punishment-driven discipline | Positive reinforcement and guidance. |
Authoritarian parents describe how to parent in what they believe is the most accurate way, focusing on the proper ratio of punishment and love. While people consider authoritarian parenting harsh and strict, authoritative parents promote self-regulation in their children while also restricting them.
Dive in further into are of parenting with our guide on raising emotionally intelligent children.
The Effects of Authoritarian Parenting.
Authoritarian parenting has both positive and negative effects on a child’s mental health, personality, and behavior. Authoritarian parenting affects a child in the following ways:
– Positive Effects: A child will be obedient to elders, have good behavior, and have high grades.
– Negative Effects: A child may develop low self-esteem, fear of failure, lack of social skills, and poor relationships with others.
It is essential to be aware of the impact of authoritarian parenting; knowing these effects will help parents choose the right parenting style!
Finding Balance: Alternatives to Authoritarian Parenting
Parents should choose a balanced and cooperative parenting style for their children. Here are some tips for them:
1. Adopt the Authoritative Style: Develop a friendly atmosphere for the child, involve them in discussions, and allow them to share things with you.
2. Set Clear but Flexible Boundaries: Structure is necessary. Be friends with your child, but also set clear but flexible boundaries.
3. Focus on Positive Reinforcement: Promote working hard without the fear of failing.
4. Encourage Independent Thinking: Let the children decide what they want to do and decide for themselves.
5. Provide Emotional Support: Parents should always be there to comfort their child in need.
If you are a parent who recognizes the pros and cons of authoritarian parenting and wants to adopt a more balanced approach, consider these alternatives.
Conclusion
Authoritative parenting involves strict control measures, and parents expect children to obey. This style creates discipline and safety, but it fails to equip children for their emotional and social lives. Although it has many benefits, its drawbacks are significant, and parents should adopt a balanced and easy parenting style. When parents apply these principles, discipline, comprehension, and communication are inevitable; children become responsible, self-confident, and prepared for societal success.
Lastly, choosing the right parenting style is very important for the child, as the child’s future relies on it. So parents, make the decision wisely!
