Yesterday I asked, Are You a Strict Parent? Realizing, of course, that “strictness” is highly interpretable. What some people think of as strict parenting, other parents think of it as lax parenting. So what does strict parenting look like?
To me strict parenting is…
Setting Rules: Rules would include cleaning up behind themselves, taking care of their belongings, asking permission before touching another’s belongings, being kind to others, following household rules for computer, television, and going out. While this may sound a little abstract, one must realize that rules change based on age appropriateness, maturity, and trust worthiness. Where one 14 year old may have unlimited cell phone use, and 17 year old may need restrictions. The reason being that the 14 year old has self control, where the 17 year old may run up a bill without any regard for the person paying it.
Communicating Expectations: Being a strict parent is not just about setting rules that must be followed. A child must not only follow rules for behavior, but they must also follow rules of performance in education and other life goals. A child should understand that a parent expects them to be independant and self reliant by the time they are adults and should start working toward that at an early age.
Making sure there are consequences for actions: This is the most difficult part of being a strict parent. Setting rules and expectation are easy. But when a child falls short, too often parents will either let it slide or loosen the rules to meet the child where they are. If a child breaks rules there should always be a consequence. That might be time out, cleaning a bathroom (my favorite for small infactions), a monetary fine, lost priveleges, and other punishments. Another form of making them deal with consequences is to not bail them out when they get into trouble in the outside world.
~If you liked this you should also read my other posts at the home blog, the homeschooling blog, the parents blog, and the frugal blog. You can read my recent posts here.
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Photo Credit: little-arf.blogspot.com