What is Your Parenting Style?

New research is stating that parenting style is associated with how your children make decisions and a 500% difference in childhood obesity. There are four main parenting styles that were identified.

Authoritarian parents make all the decisions for their children. Authoritative parents involve the child in the decision making process. Permissive parents allows the children to make decisions for themselves with their parents awareness and unengaged parents allow children to make decisions without their involvement.

Authoritative parenting seems to teach children how to regulate their own behaviors. These children were found to have lower rates of childhood obesity and smoking, better grades in school, fewer symptoms of depression and a better control of diabetes.

William J Mayer, MD, MPH had the following suggestions:

• Be respectful of your child's opinions.
• Set limits with pre-arranged consequences and then follow thru with them.
• Give you child choices that you can live with.
• Set a good example by your own behavior.

By parenting with a more authoritative approach to parenting your child should achieve a healthier and happier life.

Happy Parenting

Gina