Parents have the responsibility of raising their children in the desired manner which affect them in their expected lifetime. Therefore, being good parents and how to make a long-lasting, confident, and loving relationship with their children is what is expected of them in their cognitive development. The degree of cognitive progress depends on the parenting style which eventually affects the children. Parenting style has patterns which each parent uses to raise a child. The patterns are authoritarian or disciplinarian, permissive or indulgent, uninvolved, and authoritative. The mentioned patterns are used by parents to discipline their children. However, most of the parents prefer to use a parenting style dissimilar from which their parents used. Whichever technique they use, parents should give children independence, cultivate, and show them accountability in whatever they do. To bring up a responsible child, some parents may combine these parenting styles while others may choose a method depending on the child's temper or according to their culture. It is, therefore, important for parents to note that whichever parenting style they use it has an impact on the child’s cognitive growth.
Children's development is greatly influenced by the role played by parents during their child's lifetime. Today, parents have a variety of choices concerning the child-rearing style in which each method has a role in cultivating beliefs and values while nurturing the child. The primary purpose of cognition is on the development of the mind which are geared by the patterns of parenting styles towards attaining, accepting, and modifying information. Thus, it is essential for parents to know the role played by each parenting style and their possible effect on cognition for the development of the child and future parents. Worldwide, parents have the intention of raising responsible, liberated, well-adjusted, and respective adults which can be directed through the five patterns of parenting style. Consequently, parents need to provide an environment that will enable a child to mature into an answerable adult.
Parenting styles shape the child's cognition. For instance, the authoritative pattern which is responsive and demanding enables parents to provide their children with autonomy, attention, and warmth with limitations. Parents who use this pattern encourages their children to be autonomous and idiosyncratic. Parents and children, therefore engage in negotiations and explanations over family decision making and on matters of discipline, hence parents give their children their ears to their viewpoint and provide sensitive guidance. Authoritative style provides room for children to make rules and set boundaries for themselves, this enables to foster self-control in children deprived of punishing the child nor bribing them. The sharing of power with children is of significant which I have seen back in China, where I was working with children and my authoritative nature shaped them into academic achievers, persistence in their work, and their social maturity improved. Additionally, their self-esteem improved and they became more confident in their work. My colleagues were surprised to see how the children developed the ability to resist engaging in unruly behavior mainly when I used intrinsic motivation to them.
In authoritarian parenting style, high standards are set for, and obedience is expected from children without any comments or questions. Children's needs are not responded since they feel that they should obey their parents without talking back, for that reason, this pattern depresses individuality and independence in children. According to this style, children are forced to follow what the parents direct them, and they are punished if they defy. Under this parenting style, cognitive development of children is negatively affected, and they withdraw from parents rebelling them. Eventually, they develop low self-esteem and lack intellectual curiosity, and due to frustrations, they tend to be hostile in response to reactions.
Authoritarian is another approach which has been used by my uncles and aunts in raising their children who could never share with them any point of view nor question them on their decision. My cousins had hardships in communicating with their parents since they were always strict and demanding. Thus, most of them dropped out of school because of no motivation from the parents. Despite this adverse effect of authoritarian parenting style, is not always the case. I grew up in a strict family, but it never affected my cognition adversely since I was still out of trouble due to my parent's strictness. I did not do drugs nor get into promiscuous activity because my dad could hit with a whip. Therefore, I have high self-esteem, and even though my parents are strict and demanding, I'm growing up into a confident and intelligent person.
Children may also be brought up by uninvolved parenting style where the parents are unresponsive and un-controlling. Under this patter, the parents may have rejected the children, or they don't have time for them because of their stress and life problems. Children grew up being hostile since their parents don't show love and care to them. The children are therefore affected negatively by this parenting style, and the children grow up lacking academic and social skills, and they end engaging in the felonious behavior.
My aunt and her husband both come from work very tired and usually have no time for my cousin. My cousin used complains to me that her needs were neglected. Due to this, my cousin did what she wanted. She is now an adult and protests of the adverse effect of her involvement in sexual activity at a tender age. She now wished that her parents had time for her. Thus, her cognitive development was affected negatively.
Permissive parenting style involves accepting and providing warm to children with no demands or limits set. Therefore, children are left to make their own decision and regulate their behavior. The parents are not involved in their children's welfare and do not expect from their children. Parents may make few demands from or administer little punishment. With no limitations and no demands from the parents, this approach has adverse cognitive development. The children of such parents tend to be impulsive, immature, rebellious, underachievers, low esteem and showed less persistence to academic work.
While studying different languages, I have come across male and female who are underachievers and rebellious from permissive families. However, I have a friend who happens to come from the permissive, but he is the opposite of the adverse effect of this parenting style. He attributes his intelligence to great dreams he had to accomplish and knowing what is right and wrong. Thus, his cognitive development was not negatively affected.
Children are affected throughout their life, and it all depends majorly on parenting style used. Adolescents, for instance, tend to have higher self-esteem, self-confident, and high academic performance. However, parents who are authoritative their children achieve less in school and engage in antisocial behavior. It is therefore essential for parents to know how to raise their children since it affects their cognitive development in their later lives.
All these parenting styles may be affected by some factors. To begin with is parent’s mood which may influence their reaction contrarily on some occasions contingent to circumstance and the mood. For instance, most parents tend to use authoritarian style when they are in a bad mood and this I have observed in many families where parents use it when they upset. Sometimes, parents maybe authoritative, permissive or even uninvolved, and a good choice of parenting style may work best for the child and parent.
Children's personality is affected by parents, and they should choose the best parenting style despite the child’s influence. Children are always children and need to take into consideration on type parenting style and what impact it will have on the child. Cultural differences may also influence the type of the technique to use. For example, middle-class families may use authoritarian parenting style to deny the children freedom which may lead to indulgent into licentious behavior. Therefore, parents must apply parenting style which is best for the cognitive development of their children. Authoritative affects the positively the cognitive development of the child which should be encouraged since academic performance and self-esteem of the child is improved. On the other hand, permissive, uninvolved, and authoritarian affects them negatively which has a lower academic achievement and low esteem. Children also look on the parent's behavior which significantly influences the child's cognitive development. Therefore, parents must check on it, and whichever style they use, they should always strive to use the authoritative method which has a tremendously positive influence on the maturity, independence, and self-esteem of the child.
