Parenting is a complicated process that necessitates many different abilities to influence a child's behavior. Parents may develop their parenting styles before the birth of their first child. Typically, parents start to adhere to a parenting style that works for them within the first year after a child's birth. Parents have significant influence over their children, given that their duty is to mold them into adults. When a child exhibits bad behavior, blame is assigned to the parent. In this respect, researchers have sought to identify whether there is a connection between parenting styles and delinquent behavior. There is a high rate of juvenile delinquency in the US, and, for this reason, there is a need to determine which parenting style is effective in reducing delinquent behaviors among children. The authoritative parenting style is better than the permissive parenting style since it contributes to low levels of juvenile delinquency while the latter leads to high levels of juvenile delinquency.
Types of Parenting Styles
There are two primary types of parenting styles, including the authoritative and permissive styles. In the authoritative style, there is a high level to which parents establish rules for their children and how they discipline them based on the rules. There is also a high level to which parents cater to their children’s needs while supporting them. In this case, parents observe and discipline their children fairly while providing them with the needed support. Authoritative parents expect their children to be mature and respect their children’s independence and opinions. The authoritative parenting style permits children sufficient freedom of expression so that they gain a sense of independence (Sarwar, 2016). However, the child is aware of the rules, and he or she obeys them. Children of authoritative parents are normally self-controlled, independent, and adventurous. Authoritative parenting has been linked with positive behavioral outcomes such as greater competence, better problem-solving skills, increased autonomy, low deviance, better peer relations, greater self-reliance and greater academic competence. It has also been associated with greater levels of psychosocial development since children of authoritative parents are known to have a high level of social competence. The positive behavioral outcomes mean a low level of juvenile delinquency.
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In permissive parenting, there is a low level to which parents establish rules for their children and how they raise them based on the rules. There is also a high level to which parents cater to their children’s needs and give them support. Parents utilizing the permissive style do not impose rules on their children (Tapia, Alarid, & Clare, 2018). Resultantly, children end up doing what they want when they want it. Permissive parents tend to be either indulgent or uninvolved. Indulgent parents are accepting and strive not to disrupt their children’s independence and creativity. Uninvolved parents do not set rules and do not care about the child’s behavior. The children of permissive parents end up being immature and have difficulty being accountable for their own actions. They also exhibit poor impulse control and have difficulty acting independently. Permissive parenting has been associated with poor academic performance, low self-esteem, high level of deviance, low self-reliance, and low social competence. Indulgent parenting has been linked to aggression and delinquency. Indulgent and uninvolved parents exhibit poor supervision and a high level of neglect leading to a high level of deviant behaviors such as drug abuse and school misconduct among their children. In this case, the permissive style of parenting contributes to negative behaviors, including a high level of juvenile delinquency.
Discipline, Punishment, Communication and Rules
Parenting involves disciplining and punishing the child with regard to dealing with the child’s delinquent behaviors. Parents typically confuse discipline with punishment. Discipline entails teaching children new skills, including how to manage their behaviors, address challenges, and handle uncomfortable emotions. It enables children to learn from their mistakes and includes strategies such as the removal of privileges and timeouts (Theunissen, Vogels, & Reijneveld, 2015). Parents discipline their children to control delinquent behaviors. Punishment entails penalizing the child for making an offense. In this case, the child is made to pay for their mistakes. In some cases, the desire to punish the child arises from the parent's feelings of frustration. Punishment is concerned with controlling the child instead of teaching the child how to control themselves. Punishing a child does not teach a child how to behave.
Parent-child communication is vital in limiting deviant behaviors among children. Parents who regularly communicate with their children tend to be highly involved in the child’s life. In this case, the child is less likely to engage in deviant behaviors. When there is poor communication between the parent and the child, the latter is likely to develop deviant behaviors due to the uninvolved nature of the parent. Family rules can also have an impact on the child’s behavior. When the parent establishes family rules, the child is likely to obey them if the parent is authoritative.
Juvenile Behavior
Parents determine the nature of juvenile behavior. Children are likely to exhibit good behavior if their parents set expectations for them. However, in some instances, children may feel pressured by such expectations. Juvenile indiscipline may arise when the parent does not set expectations for the child to follow.
Conclusion
Overall, the type of parenting style determines the nature of the child's behavior. The authoritative parenting style leads to positive behavioral outcomes, which contribute to low levels of juvenile delinquency. On the other hand, the permissive parenting style promotes delinquent behaviors.
References
Sarwar, S. (2016). Influence of parenting style on children's behaviour. Journal of Education and Educational Development , 3 (2). 222-249.
Tapia, M., Alarid, L. F., & Clare, C. (2018). Parenting styles and juvenile delinquency: Exploring gendered relationships. Juvenile and Family Court Journal , 69 (2), 21-36.
Theunissen, M. H., Vogels, A. G., & Reijneveld, S. A. (2015). Punishment and reward in parental discipline for children aged 5 to 6 years: Prevalence and groups at risk. Academic Pediatrics , 15 (1), 96-102.
