Today we have a new contributor on our site! Hayley Goldberg is a licensed marriage and family therapist, mother to three fabulous college age kids, and a parenting coach. She created Heart of Connecting to support parents of toddlers and preschoolers who feel they are at the end of their rope with their little ones because she remembers those days so clearly.

Wouldn’t it be great if our little ones came with a parenting manual?

Explicit instructions how to raise our kids through the different stages of childhood to become the best adult version of themselves - happy, healthy, well- adjusted and confident adults.

Because there is no manual (and who has time to read a million parenting books?) I’m here to support you as your parenting coach with practical parenting information that will help with raising your little ones.

This post is to help you start reflecting on how you want to show up for your kids. What’s your parenting style?

We know that how we parent impacts our children’s development. How we approach things like communication or discipline, and how we interact with our children every day matters.

These elements represent key building blocks when it comes to shaping our child’s behavior during the little years and beyond. In fact, we can even go as far as saying certain styles of parenting children tend to be linked with more positive behavioral outcomes.

Four main styles of parenting researchers have identified

Authoritative parents are nurturing, responsive, and supportive, yet set firm limits for their children. They are open to children’s feelings, willing to listen to questions and open to hearing their child’s viewpoint, although won’t always agree with it. When children fail to meet expectations, these parents turn to effective discipline methods rather than punishment.

Authoritarian parents put a great deal of emphasis on obedience and control. When children break the rules it usually results in punishment.

Permissive parents are sweet and loving but tend to miss the mark where setting limits are concerned (think “kids will be kids” and “I want to be friends with my child”).

Lastly, there are the Uninvolved parents who are generally detached from their child’s life and at the extreme are unresponsive, unavailable and rejecting.

Your Style Matters

Now as you might have guessed, the parenting style most linked with positive outcomes is Authoritative. Children really thrive off nurturing, firm limits and our guidance. When these are present in our parenting style children are more friendly, cooperative, goal oriented, curious and have better self-control.

So what’s your parenting style?

Changing patterns of behavior in our parenting is hard, and it can be confusing and challenging to try new things. It’s also so easy to give up when something new doesn’t work out and then to come up with plenty of excuses about why it doesn’t work and resort back to old habits.

I want you to know my support is always available.

If you relate to any of this information and want to learn more about how I can help you, or if you want to schedule a free phone conversation to see if my coaching is right for your family, please email me at hayley@heartofconnecting.com

Follow me on facebook or on Instagram @heartofconnecting

Your child’s potential is limitless. Their success begins with you. Your parenting counts!

Warmly,

Hayley, Your Toddler & Preschooler Parenting Coach