Critical Analysis Essay: Parenting Styles and Their Effects on Children

 

Parents use diverse techniques to ensure that their children become successful individuals. Authoritarian parents impose strict rules on their children while authoritative parents tend to be more liberal. These two different parenting styles have a direct effect on children development and wellbeing. When comparing the two parenting styles, the one that seems to be more beneficial to children is the authoritative parenting since these parents have kids with better social skills and health. Authoritative parents allow children to have a say in their lives which overall helps children enjoy their childhood.

What we must first know is what are all the parenting styles and how do they affect children. According to researchers there are three different parenting styles which include permissive, authoritarian and authoritative. Permissive parents are nurturing and warm to their kids but are reluctant to imposing limits. Permissive parenting is not beneficial to children since studies have shown that these children watch more television, are more likely to abuse with alcohol and show greater aggressiveness over time(Dewar 2014). Another parenting style is the authoritarian style. Authoritarian parents also called the strict parents are demanding but not responsive. According to sources authoritarian parents allow for little open dialogue between parent and child and expect children to follow a strict set of rules and expectations( Mgbemere& Telles, 2013). Children raised by authoritarian parents are obedient and perform well academically but tend to show less social skills and more health problems. The best parenting style is the authoritative parenting. Authoritative parents show a balance in between authoritarian and permissive, meaning that they are not too strict but they are not too permissive. Authoritative parents set limits and rules but they are emotionally responsive and communicate with their children(Lee,2018). Children raised by authoritative parents are more social, confident and healthier.

When conducting observations for my research project I was able to examine two children raised by two different parents. One boy; Jason was raised by authoritarian parents and the other boy; Ryan by authoritative parents. I was able to see that Jason wasn’t a social child. He didn’t initiate conversations but only answered when I asked him about things. When I went to the library with Jason, I also saw that he ignored other kids when they were trying to talk to him. According to sources children raised by authoritarian parents start feeling lonely which contributes to them being introvert and reserved( Manola 2018). These kids don’t open up soon and lack social skills which are necessary to one’s success.  Kids raised by authoritative parents show the opposite. They tend to have fewer social problems with peers, get along with teachers and are more popular at school(Lee, 2018).

Children raised by authoritative parents can enjoy their childhood. Since these children have the opportunity to have a say in their lives, they can be able to do things they enjoy. Ryan’s parents allowed him to be part of a martial arts program an activity he liked, as long as he did his homework well. Jason’s parents isolated him because they stressed academic excellence. They imposed unrealistic rules that would actually negatively impact Jason. Jason had to stay home most of the time doing homework and reviewing them. Not only would this home environment affect Jason’s ability to enjoy a valuable phase in life like childhood but it would also affect his health. Homework can help students reinforce what they have learned in class but too much homework can have negative effects on children. Sandra Levy, a reporter specializing in health and healthcare trends mentioned that heavy loads of homework can make students experience stress and physical health problems(Levy,2017). Also just because they isolate Jason home to do his schoolwork in order that he becomes a successful individual doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be an effective method. There are other alternatives that can help children do well in school and enjoy their lives. According to sources, children’s involvement in a sport or activity can help shape children’s education, health and behavior (Felfe&Lechner&Steynmar 2016). Being involved in a program outside of school doesn’t meanthat one will do poorly in school or other aspects in life, in the contrary it will help in achieving your goals.

Authoritarian parents might argue that strict rules will make children do better in school which helps children become successful individuals in the future. Researchers have conducted studies to examine how different parenting styles affect children. A particular group that was studied were Asian parents and their children. Asians are known for being strict with their children when it comes to academic achievement. Researchers found that overall children who had strict parents did well academically (Wong & Wing & Wong & Tung & Chow & Rao & Chan & Ip 2018). Studies made by researchers also showed that parents who constantly pressured their children to mostly focus on schoolwork will discourage children’s learning in the future((Wong & Wing & Wong & Tung & Chow & Rao & Chan & Ip 2018). Although now Jason is getting the good grades and he’s doing well in school, it can be challenging for him to maintain them in the future.

In conclusion the authoritative parenting style is the best approach for raising children. Authoritative parents have rules and expect children to obey them but also allow children to give their input. This allows for happier and healthier children. Children raised by authoritative parents also show better social skills which are beneficial to children’s future. Authoritarian parents have strict rules and expect children to follow them. They don’t take into consideration children’s wants and needs. Children raised by authoritarian parents don’t have good social skills. These children can also face health problems. It’s prominent that parents promote healthy environments for their children since their futures are heavily depended on it.

Self-Reflection on Critical Analysis Essay

 

My critical Analysis paper focuses on parenting styles and their effects on children. The purpose of the essay was to analyze a phenomena and to introduce your point of view to the audience. Before writing the essay, I had to gather sources that would help in developing my argument. I also had to include information from my own observations to help strengthen my point. Writing the critical analysis essay was one of the most challenging tasks since I had to connect many different sources to one argument. I wrote a four page paper for my first draft. I thought that I had included all the components of the essay but my professor’s feedback helped me realize that I hadn’t done a good job in connecting all the points to my thesis statement. I was able to fix this mistake because for my final paper I wrote the thesis statement and points supporting my argument in a separate piece of paper. This method helped me see how I can develop the essay. I also didn’t have a strong counterargument, rebuttle and introduction. My introduction included too many details from my observations and had a sentence that needed to be in the conclusion. I changed my essay entirely when writing my second draft but I still made similar mistakes. I believe I have addressed all the requirements for my final paper because I looked back at my notes and I read a few essays of my classmates which helped me know what a good critical analysis essay consists of.

For my final paper I made a shorter introduction that only contained specific information about my topic. I realized that giving too much information would make the audience lose interest on my essay. In the final paper, I included background information. I hadn’t included background information for my two drafts because I didn’t think I could find useful information relating to my research topic. I later realized that in my psychology book there was some information I could use to build my argument. Before doing my body paragraphs, I wrote down my points in a chronological order in a separate piece of paper. Then I had to know how to connect these points. I remembered that one time I was assigned to read a source that explained how to connect my ideas and how to make the essay flow easily. I reread “As a Result”, chapter 8 of the book They Say I Say to know how I can connect all the components in my essay. When my paragraphs were in a specific order it was easier for me to write the analysis and conclusion paragraphs.

I have learned that when writing an essay that requires the use of sources, it’s important to first plan what you will include in the essay. Going directly to the essay without taking some time to think about what you will write will negatively affect the structure of the essay. Another important process to consider when writing essays is peer feedback. Being accepting of others feedback can help in writing better essays. Others feedback can help you see your work in another person’s point of view. This is important because one of the most important things writers need to take into consideration is making the work appealing to the readers.

I struggled the most writing the critical analysis essay. In my critical analysis essay I included more observations than analysis. I thought that without including a lot of my observations that I made for my sociology class, readers wouldn’t understand my topic. Professor’s feedback helped me realize that a lot of information I had in my paper was unnecessary. In my final paper, I did what the professor instructed me to do and my paper was still clear to readers.