Your Child is Now Ready to Learn Some Adult Rules and Standards

By this stage, your little one is officially ready to learn more about adult standards and rules. Generally, kids raised by authoritative parents are more likely to become independent, self-reliant, socially accepted, academically successful, and well-behaved. They are less likely to report depression and anxiety, and less likely to engage in antisocial behavior like delinquency and drug use.

What you need to know

Despite minor controversies, studies consistently report that authoritative parenting is beneficial for kids from a variety of backgrounds and ethnic groups. But being “authoritative” isn’t an all or nothing proposition. By its very nature, authoritative parenting occupies a sort of middle ground between granting too much freedom and being too strict.

What you need to do

You take a different, more moderate approach that emphasizes setting high standards, being nurturing and responsive and showing respect for children as independent, rational beings. The authoritative parent expects maturity and cooperation, and offers children lots of emotional support. When kids make mistakes or misbehave, they attempt to reason with their children. Authoritative parents encourage a verbal give and take, and explain the consequences of good and bad behavior.