Permissive Parenting

Parenting style is a vital determinant of children’s coping styles, and a child’s behavior towards adults varies according to different parenting styles. As primary caregivers, parents put forth a substantial influence on the development of their child’s present and future emotional health, personality, character, well-being, social and cognitive development, and academic performance.

Three specific parenting styles are defined:

(1) Authoritative: (high control, low warmth)

(2) Authoritarian: (high warmth, high control)

(3) Permissive: (high warmth, low control)

Children in a permissive household are “co-owners” of the house as far as rules go but have no responsibility.

Permissive parents demand very few hassles of their children, parents provide few to no commands or limits to behavior, and often spoil and pamper the child. These parents hardly ever discipline their children because they have comparatively low expectations of maturity and self-control.​ This was one of the three original parenting styles developed by Diana Baumrind. According to Baumrind, permissive parents "are more responsive than they are demanding. They are nontraditional and lenient, do not require mature behavior, allow considerable self-regulation, and avoid confrontation."

They have very few rules and standards of behavior. When there are rules, they are not consistently enforced.

Children raised in this parenting style can exhibit insecure behaviors, lack social skills like sharing, demanding, lack self-discipline and possibly be more likely to use alcohol or drugs.

Worse academic performance

Permissive parents also do not demand their children to perform or set a goal for their children to strive for.

More impulsive and aggressive

Permissive parents do not control or regulate their children’s behavior. So their children are less aware of the limits of acceptable behavior. They also exhibit worse impulse control and have more behavioral problems. When facing stressful situations, they are more likely to resort to using aggression.

More prone to delinquency, substance abuse and alcohol abuse

Children of permissive parents are more likely to be associated with crimes, substance abuse and alcohol-related issues because they have worse impulse control.

Less able to self-regulate

Emotional regulation is not something we are born with. It is a learned skill. Because children of permissive parents are left to regulate their own activities, behavior and emotions at a young age, they tend to have more difficulties self-regulating.

Are You A Permissive Parent?