4.2: Additional Parenting Styles

Overindulgent Parenting

Overindulgent parenting is providing children with too much of what “looks good, too soon, too long.”^[1] Oftentimes, it appears that parents implement these strategies to fulfill their own unmet needs or feelings of neglect from their own childhood.

Examples include giving children an overabundance of:

• things or experiences that are not developmentally appropriate for the child,
• family resources that appear to meet the child’s needs but do not,
• anything that actively harms or prevents a child from developing and achieving one’s full potential, and
• freedom with minimal boundaries and limits that are developmentally-inappropriate for the child.^[2]

Figure 1. An overindulged child might become prone to outbursts or tantrums when faced with limitations (Photo Source: Mohamed Abdelgaffar on Pexels)

Many negative outcomes have been linked to overindulgent parenting, which include, but are not limited to, children who exhibit:

1. extreme self-centeredness,
2. excessive degrees of a sense of entitlement,
3. poor decision-making and coping skills, and
4. stifled developmental growth as a result of not experiencing or learning “necessary” life lessons.

Helicopter Parenting

Helicopter parenting is characterized by caregivers who are extremely overinvolved in their child’s life due to the belief that they can protect their child’s physical and/or emotional well-being. Caregivers using this approach appear overbearing and overprotective due to the close attention they pay to all of their child’s problems and successes. Parents “hover overhead” by constantly overseeing or being excessively interested in every aspect of their child’s life. Some contend that cell phones are “the world’s longest umbilical cord” which is contributing to this phenomenon.^[3]

Figure 2. Helicopter parents don’t literally ride in helicopters, but their hovering, overwatch mentality is similar. (Photo Source: Army Staff Sgt. Roberto Di Giovine)

Many negative outcomes have been linked to helicopter parenting, which may include, but are not limited to, children and adults who exhibit:

1. stifled developmental growth as a result of not experiencing or learning “necessary” life lessons,
2. long-term mental health problems,
3. rebellious behaviors in adolescence,^[4] and
4. a lack of independence coupled with poor decision-making, motivational, and coping skills. ^[5]

Traditional Parenting Style

Figure 3. A family eating a large meal. (Photo Source: National Cancer Institute)

The traditional parenting style is more commonly used in families with non-Western cultural values. Parents using this approach expect their children to respect and obey authority (e.g., parents, elders, etc.) and comply with their cultural beliefs and values without questions. Parents using this approach are high in demandingness, warmth, and responsiveness, similar to the authoritative approach, however, they do not engage in democratic discussions.^[6] This style was created because many parenting styles in non-Western cultures do not meet the criteria for authoritarian (due to expressing warmth) or authoritative (due to lack of communication).

For example, many families who self-identify as Asian Americans and Latino Americans engage in high demandingness and expect respect and obedience of their children. However, these caregivers also value closeness and love which is different from the authoritarian parenting style. Adolescents who grow up in families using traditional parenting style characteristics tend to show higher academic achievements and lower behavioral and psychological problems when compared to their peers who are reared by caregivers using the authoritarian approach. These positive outcomes may be related to the closeness and love shown to children, which is different from the “cold” or “distant” characteristics consistent with the authoritarian style. ^[7] Additional, less-researched parenting styles are listed below.