How do I best raise my child

How do I best raise my child? This is a question parents often ask themselves. Am I doing it right? Is my child happy? Believe me, if you often have these questions in your head, you are probably doing a great job. Of course, there are always points you can improve.  

Different styles of parenting

You have roughly 4 parenting styles. Authoritarian, democratic, permissive and neglectful. All 4 very different and not really comparable. To give you a clear picture of this, I'm going to explain them briefly.

• Authoritarian. Authoritarian parenting means that you often feel superior to your child. This style of parenting has lots of rules and no back talk.

Advantage : The child knows what the boundaries are. 

Disadvantage : The biggest advantage is at the same time the biggest disadvantage, is that the child knows very well what the limits are. Thus, he does not get the chance to develop himself and often becomes lonely as a result. Because, roughly speaking, the parents make all the decisions for the child, he or she does not get the space to make his or her own learning choices. 

Democratic. This type of parenting is also called authoritative parenting. The roles of the parents and the child are very clear but in this style of parenting, the child often has a say. This is a good and loving style of parenting. Your child has rules but also gets the space to discover himself a little more and to just be a child.

Advantage: A child raised this way is more cheerful and social than a child with authoritarian parenting. 

Disadvantage: Because your child is raised democratically, a child often wants to know how or why? They don't easily agree if they don't like it at the time. Therefore, they are more likely to engage in discussion. 

• Permissive. This parenting style involves a lot of commitment but few rules and therefore more chaos. With this style, children will have much to say and more freedom. 

Advantage: Because the children are given so much freedom, there is less tension in the home because less conflict will take place. 

Disadvantage: With this type of parenting, children often do not learn what boundaries and rules are. This can become a big problem at school when they have to follow a certain schedule and suddenly there are rules. This can make your child very spoiled and difficult. 

• Neglect. This style of parenting lacks both control and involvement. In this style of parenting, parents often do not really look after the child. 

Advantage: The only advantage is that it saves time for the parents. 

Disadvantage: This style of parenting has many disadvantages. The child will feel lonely and unloved. Thus, they cannot build self-confidence. It is also a dangerous way of parenting because if they do not get love at home, they will look for it elsewhere.

How do I know which style suits me?

This is a very easy and difficult question at the same time. Actually, it is a bit of 3 styles together, which are the authoritarian parenting, the democratic parenting and the indulgent parenting. The neglectful parenting is not an option. Very simply put, if you can't take care of a child you shouldn't start one.