What is Permissive Parenting?

Are you a permissive parent? Read on to find out what permissive parenting is and how does it affect the growth and development of children.Low on discipline, permissive parenting is a practice followed by parents who impose few rules. They go easy on the kids and follow the mantra “kids will be kids”. Permissive parenting has fewer demands and parents do not monitor all their children’s moves. They are caring and loving and do not have a strict enforceable code of discipline for their children. They are highly indulgent and oppose the notion of always keeping children in check. In this articleCharacteristics of Permissive ParentsPositive effectsNegative effectsStrategies to Counter Permissive ParentingCharacteristics of Permissive ParentsHave a quick look at the common characteristics of permissive parents.Permissive parents have lesser rules in daily lives of the children. Even if there are rules, children are allowed to bend them or break them at times.They are very loving and nurturing. They deal with their children as friends and go easy on them.They might often use gifts and toys to pacify their child or to get their child to do something.The parents realise the importance of a child’s freedom. They also involve the child in household decisions and seek their opinion.Ignorance of misconduct coupled with requests to change to their children instead of giving orders is peculiar characteristics of permissive parents.They often feel that their children take them for granted and feel overwhelmed by the activities of their children.Effects of Permissive ParentingHere are some of the positive effects of permissive parenting on the growth of children.Positive effects:Permissive parenting lets your child enjoy his or her childhood. It helps your child be open and frank with you.It develops a strong bond of love and emotional support between the parents and the child.Creativity is enhanced a child gets to explore any activity she takes interest in.Children often tend to avoid conflict with their parents because they enjoy the liberty that they receive.Negative effects:Below mentioned are some of the negative effects of permissive parenting on the development of children.Parents tend to lose control of their children. The children become adamant and demanding.Without any structure, rules and decorum, the child sometimes enjoy too much freedom. This has several negative impacts.Children take the freedom for granted and can misuse it. They even lack motivation in life because no terms are enforced.Lacking motivation make children relaxed about all chores and they find it difficult to excel at anything.Having received too much freedom, the child assumes that he can always push further and get whatever they want.Power struggles start the moment the parent decides that the child has received too much freedom and wants to make changes.The children who get their way with things all the time find it hard to make adjustments and meaningful decisions in times of crisis.They ever deal with stressful situations during their childhood and find it hard to adapt to difficult situations later on. They might also tend to be more aggressive.They never learn limits and tend to develop bad habits.Bad habits might include alcohol or drug addictions later on because their parents never taught them where to draw the line.Excessive television use coupled with poor academic performance is also marked kids who have had permissive parents.Strategies to Counter Permissive ParentingWhen you realise that you have been too lenient with your child, develop some basic rules and structures at home that everyone follows. Be firm and strict but loving too. Make your kids understand the gravity of their mistakes and why it would cause harm to repeat those. Reward good behaviour and appreciate it when the kids learn good habits and manners.Permissive parenting is a trend that is not too uncommon but it can indeed have dire results. It can affect children on a very long term basis. Understanding it at the very beginning and implementing changes is necessary. Start with small changes at home and soon you will see major changes in the bigger picture.Is it good to be a permissive parent? What are the positive effects of permissive parenting? How does permissive parenting affect children negatively? Discuss here.