When most individuals find out that they are pregnant with their first child, they wish that a parenting manual could magically appear on their front doorstep, sharing the secrets and tips they could incorporate to be the best parent they could be their child. Of course, there is no singular “right” way to parent your child. However, the four parenting styles can shed some light on how you can have your child progress into a loving, confident, and self-assured individual within their future. Here, we will take a deeper dive into the four different parenting styles, listing out the pros and cons of each one and discussing which parenting style will be best to utilize with your toddler.

1. Authoritative Parenting

Many professionals believe that this parenting style is considered the most appropriate and effective form of parenting. This particular parenting style sets clear/consistent rules for their child to follow, listens to input from their child, and has reasonable expectations of their child.

Pros:

• Toddlers with authoritative parents have been proven to have higher self-esteem and, overall, quality of life.
• These children are less likely to engage in anger-filled acts or have issues with substance abuse later on in life.

• There are no cons for children with authoritative parents. However, this parenting style does require a lot of patience and effort from the parent’s standpoint.

2. Authoritarian Parenting

These parents are rigorous and set strict rules for their children to follow to ensure that they live out a prosperous life. This parenting style will have incredibly high expectations and expect their child to meet every single one, and they will not encourage open communication between themselves and the child.

• Pros: The pros that go along with this parenting style are that some professionals have said that when a toddler clearly understands their role and boundaries, they can focus more clearly on the type of achievements they can carry out daily.
• Cons: Authoritative parenting has several negatives. Toddlers of authoritative parents don’t see their parents as authority figures and are more likely to engage in destructive behavior, such as throwing more temper tantrums or not listening to what they are being told to do.

3. Permissive Parenting

Permissive parents are the ones that are incredibly loving and warm. However, their toddlers could get away with murder, and they wouldn’t even notice. These parents have few rules for their children to follow and fully allow them to make their own decisions.

• Pros: Children raised in this manner typically praise their upbringing, as they were allowed to make their own decisions at a young age and become independent at a quicker rate.
• Cons: Toddlers of permissive parents are more likely to have cavities and become obese at a young age.

4. Uninvolved/Neglectful Parenting

Neglectful parents often feel indifferent towards their toddler and don’t take care of the child’s physical or emotional needs beyond the necessities.

• Pros: There are no documented pros that can come from this parenting style.
• Cons: Toddlers of neglectful parents are highly anxious and antisocial, likely to deal with depressive episodes, and have academic challenges in the future.