Parenting Science 2016: The Effects Of Disparate Opinions On Parenting

It is a given fact that parenting is never an easy task. While it can be delightful and rewarding, it can also be challenging, difficult and stressful. But, do you ever wonder about what makes a good and responsible parent? Or maybe who's the best judge of moms and dads?

Being a parent is perhaps one of the best and most eventful experiences in a human's life. But in an era where parents face the double standard of parenting pressures, moms and dads out there may find themselves in the middle of unwarranted scrutiny and judgment that comes with parenthood.

The Parenting Trap

Did you know that being a parent makes you vulnerable to criticisms and judgment of other parents? In fact, some parents aren't always shy about giving their opinions on others' parenting style - from parenting blogs, articles, books, social media posts and comments or even at the playground, NPR notes.

The Contrasting Surveys Of Parents, Children And Teachers About Each Other

According to Iowa State University psychologist and study researcher Thomas Schofield, researchers are having a hard time analyzing or processing the data when parents, kids and teachers are surveyed about each other. The reason? Their answers usually don't match up, resulting in missing out useful information.

In a study published in the Journal of Family Psychology on Apr. 14, Schofield and his colleagues said reporter disagreement is a problem that worries parenting researchers. According to Live Science, they also found that parents, children and outsiders frequently disagree when asked if parents are harsh or warm, and if kids are happy or not because people don't know how to handle the question.

As mentioned above, some parents are not shy on commenting or criticizing other parenting styles. Unfortunately, the differing opinions coming from kids, parents and outside observers is a major problem amid the current replicability crisis in psychology.

The Effects Of Disparate Opinions On Parenting

In the research, Schofield also found that when parents were rated high in warmth and very low in harshness toward their kids, an increase in child depression and loneliness scores were observed. But the result was in contrast to the fact that high warmth and low harshness should be good for children, noting the probability that parents lied on the surveys.

Parents who rated themselves as less warm, however, had children with higher self-worth. While children who rated their parents as accepting showed high levels of misbehavior.

Different Types Of Parents

Meanwhile, the way you raise your children could reportedly have a lifelong effect on their development and ability to handle challenges in life. A tackling the effects of the contrasting opinions on parenting, this is also a great time to discuss what type of a parent are you.

Are "Tiger" parents who are pushing their children to succeed based on your own terms? Or perhaps, you're a "helicopter" parent who loves to take over your child's life?

There are also parents who are known as "snowplough" moms and dads, who remove the hindrances in their child's life to make their journey easier. While "Free-range" parents allow kids to be free and "attachment" or "gentle" are often relaxed but ensure to implement limitations based on their child's needs and character, Strait Times reveals.

These categories also fall in four basic typologies including authoritarian, permissive, neglectful and authoritative parenting. Unfortunately, these typologies are sometimes criticized due to how culturally determine they are, Business Insider reports.

So, what kind of a parent are you? Share your thoughts below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.