Anti-authoritarian parenting style and socionics types

[ashlesha]

Overly authoritarian parenting often causes the children to become authoritarians in their later life, some might even use physical punishment, which I absolutely reject. Authoritarian parenting is actually about as bad as the anti-a style. There is middle way of parenting, which is still based on the parents as authorities, but unfortunately, there is no appropriate english term to describe it.

according to a psychology class i was in, the middle way is termed authoritative. there were studies cited where it was shown that permissive parenting is least effective and authoritative is most effective. i dont know how exactly that was measured, though. i feel kind of silly for not mentioning this earlier, lol.

My style has been to seek a balance. It is important for parents to maintain some authority over their children, but in a way that encourages them to safely develop their independence over time.

For example, my 3 yo is told point-blank not to go into the street without holding an adult's hand. This is to keep him safe, as he does not yet understand all the fine points of crossing the street or how to do so safely every time. When he is older, however, he will know enough to safely cross the street by himself. I won't be making him hold my hand still when he's eight.

this seems like the sanest kind of parenting imo.