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Shea Crissman

Mrs. Cramer

Comp Pd. 4

October 5, 2018

Parents: The Leaders of Child Behavior

Children are like sponges; they absorb everything including actions, comments, and

behavior from their parents. The general population of parents has ended up raising their own

children. Most children grow up and develop in a household with a mother and father, therefore

they evolve a behavior based off their parents' choices. Parents influence their child's behavior

through parenting styles, as well as positive and negative interactions.

In fact, there are four main types of parenting styles that can impact the behavior of a

child which are authoritarian, neglectful, indulgent, and authoritative. To start off, authoritarian

is more of a dominating style; an example of authoritarian parenting would be a child being

restricted and the parent having all of the say in their relationship. These parents sometimes end

up with children who lack communication skills. Neglectful parenting is not acceptable. This is

when parents do not engage in parenting. This style of parenting would be like a mother coming

home from work and pretending that her child does not exist. These children that come from this

type of parenting can have trouble following the rules, they can lack self-control, and

communication skills, as well as the children from authoritarian parenting. For instance,

indulgent parenting is when parents are attentive but have few rules and restraints. For example,

the parents that let their kids go and do whatever they want, when they want. Although this style

of parenting can push a child to have higher levels of creativity, they have little self-control, few

boundaries, and an unnecessary sense of entitlement. These children also tend to take more than

give. Finally, the last style of parenting is the gold standard; this is authoritative parenting
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(Riggio). An example of this type of parenting would be a child going to hang out with friends,

but also having a curfew, so both the child and parent are satisfied. This style gives children a

sense of independence and continues to encourage it as well. Along with independence, this style

also has limits and boundaries. Children coming from this style have self-control, social skills,

self-reliance, and higher leadership potential. Parents who have more of an authoritative

parenting style raise the most acceptable children.

Furthermore, parenting style plays a large role in the outcome behavior of children, but

there is also of little things to the side. Warm caregiving is a simple part of a child's behavior;

warm caregiving is simply being there for the child, providing support, and being loving. Parents

also need to provide a child with a stable, stimulating environment. Some factors that should be

included are: plants, puzzles and anything else eye catching to a young child. Environment is

responsible for thought, emotion, and behavior (Gross). Parents are also responsible for being

aware of their child. They need to be aware of their child's emotions and they also need to be

aware of the things they say around their child. Mothers need to put themselves in their child's

shoes and notice what's making them distressed so they are able to help the child resolve it. For

example, if a child is getting bullied at school then the parent needs to understand what the child

may be going through, so they can work together to help resolve the conflict. If parents are also

able to argue maturely around their child, then the child can benefit from seeing conflicts

resolved in positive, adult way. Nurture from a parent is also important. Nurturing enhances a

baby's emotional well-being, temperament, personality, ability to cope, and their future potential.

For example, if a mother read to her children every night, they would become verbally and

imaginably interactive, meaning that they would excel with their speech and have a wide

imagination. This would also get them emotional and mental stability. Overall, loving,

supportive, and guiding parents turn out to raise the most well-behaved children.
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In addition, there are a lot more don'ts compared to do’s when it comes to parenting.

Parents who act negatively in any way raise the most misbehaved and unsocialized children.

Parents need to be emotionally and physically involved with their children. Parents who may be

nearby, but who is not emotionally invested or responsive, tend to raise children that are more

distressed and less engaged with play and or activities (Moges, Weber). For example, a single

mom that works three jobs; she is there for her children and taking care of them, but is not there

emotionally, therefore she cannot support them in that way. Without this, kids do not know how

to interact with others. Child abuse is not legal, but people still tend to do it frequently. Child

abuse causes antisocial and destructive behavior while neglectful parenting leads to negative

emotions and anger episodes. Child abuse can be anything from verbally abusing your child, to

hitting your child unnecessarily, or even burning them. Physical punishment does not teach a

child anything, so it is best to keep positive punishment. Another factor that can play a role in

bad behavior from a child is what they hear or see from their parents. Fighting parents can lead

to emotional insecurity. A mother's own emotion also impacts their child. Depressed mothers

tend to rub off the same emotion on their children meaning they make each other depressed and

they spiral. This causes both to be unhappy, unlively, and demonstrate a disobedient behavior.

Negative actions from parents lead to negative actions and behaviors from children.

In conclusion, parents play the biggest role in the outcome of their child's behavior

through their parenting styles, as well as their positive and negative interactions. Positive

parenting styles promote a positive behavior as well as the little things a mother or father can do

to the side like nurturement, compromises such as: boundaries and curfews, and support. Parents

should also avoid any negative actions towards their child such as physical and mental abuse,

arguments, and disinvolvement in their child's life. Based on this information, parents are found

to be the most influential components in the behavior and development of children.

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Works Cited

Gross, Gail. “The Power Of Parental Influence In Child Development.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 12

Aug. 2016, www.huffpost.com/entry/the-power-of-parental-influence-in-child-

development_b_57a6a8b5e4b0c94bd3c9a60a.

“Parental Influence on the Emotional Development of Children.” Developmental Psychology at

Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt University, 2014,

my.vanderbilt.edu/developmentalpsychologyblog/2014/05/parental-influence-on-the-

emotional-development-of-children/.

“Parenting Effects on Children: What Is Your Parenting Style?” Psychology Today, Sussex

Publishers, 2018, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-race-good-

health/201802/parenting-effects-children-what-is-your-parenting-style.