There has always been debate over the best approach for parents to take as it pertains to disciplinary issues with their children Two of the most common parenting styles are referred to as austere and harsh parenting
Luma Simms, who is an associate fellow at the Philos Project, has studied each style and their various effects that they have on children She says the differences between austere and harsh parenting are sometimes subtle, but austere parenting puts more of an emphasis on the child's well-being and personal growth You can think of harsh versus austere parenting in terms of meanness versus strictness or in terms of punishment versus discipline So with harsh parenting, it tends to be punitive It tends to be intentionally punishing and there's a sense of retribution in there for the parent
Austere parenting, on the other hand, is disciplinary in nature and it has as its intended end the good of the child, right? So its aim is to train, its aim is to discipline, to help that child practice the things that will serve him well as as he grows up It's always challenging for parents to find ways to appropriately discipline their children without being too harsh Simms says it's important to keep in mind that the rules of the house are not going to make or break the child It's more about the spirit with which those rules are implemented She also says it's crucial for parents to establish a culture and environment of love and acceptance
I would say the first thing is to really have love in the home, to truly love your child It seems sort of given that well of course parents love their children Yes, parents may love their children but not every parent is maybe good at showing that love, showing that tenderness and affection and so the really number one thing is that these are real human beings and we need to show them that respect due to them and that love due to them and value them To read more of Simms' work, visit her website at LumaSimmscom
You can also find many articles with parenting tips on DadsDivorcecom That'll do it for another episode, I'm Shawn Garrison, editor of DadsDivorcecom Thank you for watching
