Yuratuhl wrote:
Children are programmable friends.
More or less. Friends that you change their diapers, put them in time out, give them juice, etc. lol
You have to maintain a balance between friend and parent. I try to promote a parenting style that teaches thinking for oneself rather than blind allegiance to authority. I try to do this while still maintaining control of situations rather than of my children. I take the role of teacher and guide in place of master and controller.
I'll use a dangerous situation to provide an example of how the two parenting methods contrast.
My child wants to play outside in the yard. I acknowledge their request (note that I did not say demand/temper tantrum) and let them out and follow behind him. He is playing and running around under my supervision and he runs too close to the road for my taste. I go to my child, adjusting speed as necessary if the situation warrants it. I pick up my child to control the situation and explain why playing by the road is bad, instead of simply telling them it is bad. If you rely on vague deterrents like 'Dont play in the road because its dangerous and Daddy said so' they only learn to obey, and they learn obedience at a slower rate.
If you take the approach to explain 'The road has cars and they drive fast and they might hurt you if you play in the road' then you have instilled the ability to reason to a degree, what a child of X age is capable of, rather than promote blind obedience out of fear rather than out of regard for personal well being, as is the case in this scenario.
Parenting methods are not one size fits all, and modification and improvisation are necessary in nearly all situations and scenarios.
BrawlsackTaking an extended hiatus from gaming
