A touch of demand, emotional support, and a plethora of love, mix it all together and you have the authoritative parenting style. Not too strong and unloving, not too permissive, but just right. This is the parenting style I tried my best to imitate while raising my virtual child. The authoritative style is based on the principle of balance, there is so much going on in a childs growth from birth to eighteen, a sturdy foundation of discipline and boundaries, which are dependent on age, are paired with the love, emotional support and encouragement. This parenting style seems to be perfect, the dream parent who is always the perfect mixture of strong, steady, reliable and loving.
It almost seemed too good to even strive for, knowing in any situation I would be sure to make mistakes. Regardless, with each turning point of Gabriel’s development, I kept in mind how his development was influencing his actions, and how I could react in the most helpful, authoritative way possible. This parenting style was the outline, the blank canvas in which I wanted to fill in. This parenting style has been proven to be the most developmentally helpful in terms of producing a child that is balanced. A child that is independent, yet trusting, confident and inherit values from their parents. Through Gabriel’s life, there were many ups and downs.
The family suffered unknowable and unchangeable circumstances, and though they did effect him, I feel this parenting style was especially effective in these times of turmoil. Another theory influencing my parenting behavior was Bowlby & Ainsworth’s attachment theory. From the moment I learned of this theory, something resonated with me. The theory of attachment is based on trust, and trust from the moment a . .ors effecting Gabriel’s emotional health, and caused him some slight anxiety.
These events were hard, because my choices could not go far to aid in the turmoil left by them. These events are all too real, and more than common within the lives of everyday Americans, and I did my best to counter them. It was very interesting to see how these factors played into my parenting style and how the general framework of my parenting aided or hindered Gabriel. Luckily, the developing mind is plastic, shapeable and changeable. He was a resilient child who with help, worked past and beyond his struggles (Arnet, 2015). It is hopeful beyond all things, to marvel in the resilience of humans, especially those who’s brains have not even finished growing.
They can take situations and sets of schemas and change and grow with each situation, and I believe that is a thing to be marveled.
