Permissive Parenting – Allowing children to grow socially secure
According to developmental psychologist Diana Baumrind permissive parenting is the way of rearing the children by being warm and nurturing, but also rather reluctant towards imposing any set limits on their behaviour. While the former proves to be a great trait in the emotional developments of the child, the latter, however might impair the child’s understanding of a reasonably acceptable social behaviour. Owing to this inappropriate mix of parenting traits, this style is usually not advocated.
While this might not be a welcomed style as per the society, one can never assertively confirm if permissive parenting is lousy in any form.
The Ways and Means
In most cases, permissive parents have a notion that not only are their children quite mature, but are also completely capable of taking decisions for themselves, with little or no parental guidance. In fact, such parents often do not set any definite set of rules or regulations for the children, and do not expect much from them. Even if the children resort to undue behaviours or make repeated mistakes, the parents often overlook them in an attempt to avoid any unpleasant conversation with them. In fact, the entire focus of the parents is on keeping the children happy and comfortable, and thus they’re frequently showed with toys, gifts or treats, in lieu of good behaviour or achievements.
While many believe that this style is a little too flexible and might lead to a spoiled child at the end of the day, developmental studies suggest the contrary. It spells out that children brought up in such a sensitive environment are more inclined to grow up being socially secure with fewer behavioural issues. Moreover, there is no sound proof that such upbringing leads to poor outcomes or may cause any substantial harm to the child or the society.
The Effects
The permissive style of parenting often results in a mixed-bag of effects on the child’s growth and stability, which is substantiated by the following traits of children of indulgent parents:
- High self-dependence
- Low sense of self-discipline
- Emotionally stable
- Tendency to initiate conflicts with authority
- Strong bonding with parents
- Self-centred attitude
- Succumb to underage drinking and other vices (due to lack of rules)