Parenting Styles: What Kind of Father Are You?

What makes a good father?

A good father is someone who possesses the moral and ethical authority necessary to provide a positive upbringing for his children. He’s characterized by being a positive role model and for teaching moral and spiritual values within a caring environment.

To make this possible, he uses effective communication and forms personal relationships based on love, respect, understanding, honesty and peace.

How to determine what kind of father you are

To determine what kind of father you are, you need to understand the definitions that modern psychology provides. A person’s parenting style has to do with the level of effort that he or she makes to be involved in children’s care. 

Below are the four main classifications for parenting styles:

Authoritarian fathers

This is the type of father who maintains old-fashioned parenting techniques, much like those of our grandparents. They’re rigid, inflexible and show little affection. They impose rules based on their own perception of what’s best.

This type of parenting style tends to place emphasis on children’s mistakes and shortcomings. Authoritarian fathers fail  to appreciate their children’s achievements and qualities. 

Below are a few more characteristics of authoritarian fathers:

• The use of punishment as a consequence of breaking the rules.
• Failure to explain the reasoning behind the rules. Authoritative parents demand respect and absolute obedience.
• Lack of interest in understanding a child’s feelings.

Even today, there are parents who uphold this parenting style. However, there is a modern trend for fathers to be more involved in the upbringing of their children. As a result, many fathers are becoming more flexible.

Absent fathers

In general, this phenomenon is the result of separation and divorce. It can also occur when fathers start a new life with a new partner. They often look for excuses to avoid taking part in their children’s lives or fulfilling their parental responsibilities.

Some characteristics that define absent fathers are the following:

• Absent fathers delegate their responsibilities to schools, partners or family members.
• They don’t provide discipline or moral support when their children are having difficulties.
• A lack of interest in their children’s activities and problems.

Recognizing that you’re an absent father can be a positive first step in restoring your relationship with your children. Evaluating your presence in your child’s life is extremely important.

Once your children grow up, they’ll follow your own example. Taking action to become more present in your little ones’ lives will be beneficial in the present and the future.

Permissive parents

This parenting style is the exact opposite of authoritarian parenting. Permissive parents don’t establish rules. Rather, they give their children complete freedom, with no limits.

They also practice zero control over their children and make no demands. This produces disorganized families. Certain characteristics of permissive parenting include the following:

• A lack of rules and norms within the family.
• A lack of guidance in regards to what is right and wrong.

It’s important for permissive parents to understand that discipline and limits aren’t synonymous with mistreatment. In fact, they’re expressions of love.

Responsible parents

This type of parenting is ideal, according to modern society. Balance is what defines this parenting style.

Responsible fathers are demanding and in control, but at the same time, they provide the tools their children need to meet their expectations.

This parenting style is full of love, communication and understanding. It helps children become autonomous, independent and responsible.

Some basic aspects of this type of responsible parenting include the following:

• Clearly established rules along with explanations of the benefits of each rule.
• Discipline occurs within a framework of love and empathy.
• Feelings of security and confidence are evident.

Without a doubt, this parenting technique produces adults with high moral standards and an increased ability to adapt to the future.

Other types of fathers

Learning to understand what kind of father you are involves analyzing other behaviors as well. The most frequent include:

• Overprotection: Parents who are overprotective view the world as a dangerous place for their children. As a result, they provide excessive care for their children, depriving them of opportunities to learn through exploration and experimentation.
• Negotiation: Some parents provide their children with options of how to behave rather than solving problems and conflicts for them.

In conclusion, knowing what type of father you are helps you to improve your relationship with your children. Ideally, you should act in consequence to achieve positive results in the long run.

Now that you’ve read today’s article, do you know what kind of father you are?