Parenting

Nobody would be able to be here today if it weren't for the companionship of parents. Without parents, we wouldn't have made it past infancy. Mothers and Fathers do so much for us. First, they made us. They care for our every need while we are living in their home as children. They feed us, take care of us when we're hurt, and do everything they can to make our lives as comfortable and happy as possible. When it finally is time to leave the house, they've done what they could to prepare us to live on our own, and hopefully prepped us with all of the life skills we need to take care of ourselves. 

    The things I stated above, those are exactly the purposes of parents. They are there to bring us into this world. They love and care for us. They prepare us for the natural foes the earth has to offer. There are different styles of parenting, however, and depending on the child, a certain type may benefit more than others. On the Prep assignments for class this week, one of the links was to take a quiz to see what your parenting style would be. Even though I'm not yet a parent myself, I did the best to put down what I believe I would be like. The 3 options for parenting styles were Active, Autocratic, and Permissive. When I submitted my results, I got the result back for Active. It was described as a parent-child relationship based off of mutual respect, trust, and teamwork. I think this would be pretty accurate for me, and it makes sense cause it's more of what I experienced from my parents while I was growing up. I don't believe in the parent having absolute power, but I also don't think it's a good thing for the child to have the capability to do whatever they want. The best way for the child to grow up is a healthy balance. The parent and child should have conversations. If the parent disagrees with the child, they should explain why they think so, and vice versa. If you give the child a ton of freedom and power over themselves, they will grow to be spoiled and they won't be prepared for the world when they realize no everyone will bow down to their every word. On the flip side, if the parent is too strict and rules over every decision in the child's life, first off, they won't have a healthy or happy relationship, and second, they have a higher chance of becoming rebellious. Whether that means they'll break rules while still living with the parents, or become rebellious and have low morals or standards after they move out since it's their first taste of freedom, I don't think it's a good way to raise a child. 

    The Active parenting style that I mentioned above, in my own personal opinion, is the healthiest way to raise a child. It focuses on the parent and the child working together, rather than against or on their own. It gives some freedom to the child, but not too much. I believe the child should be able to make decisions for themselves, but I wouldn't want to give them so much freedom to the point where a choice they do make has long-term negative effects. Learning from mistakes is important in the upbringing of somebody, but if it is going to cause them troubles such as addiction, life long injury, or in extreme cases imprisonment, it's just not worth it to me.

    To wrap up, I think the roles parents possess is extremely important. Without them, nobody could become anything. It's important to adopt the best parenting style that will benefit your child the most.