In response to Shannon's question about parenting

What kind of parenting style do you think your parents had/have?? Do you think you would be different, if they had raised you using a different parenting style??


Growing up I have always said to my friends that I have "older parents." This was just because they were always a few years older than all of my friends parents, I didn't mind this at all. My dad always tells me that he was not ready to be a father at all when he was in his mid twenties, this being the age when many of my friends parents had them. I always respected my parents for waiting until they knew they could support a child. I am their only one and so you could say I was spoiled when I was little. My parents had a laid back style of enforcing the rules. They punished me when I needed it but my life was not full of threats of being punished like many children's are. As I got older I matured faster than my others friends seemed to, and I thank my parents for that. I have always been surrounded by adults who have a stable life and family of their own. I believe that this caused me to become a more independent and confident person. Growing up my parents let me try new activities and explore friendships, rarely interjecting with their own opinions. They wanted me to become who ever I wanted to be and as a result of that I found hobbies I truly loved and I came to understand which friends I could truly trust. There were not many rules to follow at home, no times when I could not be myself. Often my friends would come over and then never want to leave. They were shocked that I was allowed to eat dinner in front of the television or eat ice cream before dinner. I feel that how I was raised shaped me into who I am today and I would have not wanted my childhood any other way. I don't think I would be too different of a person, but I would not have the same respect for my parents as I do now because of how they raised me. I don't think this sort of parenting style should be used in every family, the parents need to be able to judge what sort of techniques will benefit their children the most and what will let them grow into unique individuals. 


Question: Will you raise your children similar to how your parents did for you? Or is your goal to raise your children in a completely different way?