I picked option one for Chapter 4 impression prompt regarding development based off of different parenting styles.
With dealing with parents consistently you go through different stages of irritation when dealing with those parents. I have worked with children and parents for over 8 years now. Whether it is through camp, Samara, or babysitting, I am extremely involved and aware of different parenting skills. When looking at each of the different parenting skills in the impression post I find them useful in different stages of life.
Helicopter parents:
In all honesty, helicopter parents are the worst. We talked about “type A” or anal people in Chapter 1 and this is a whole new ball park, anal on steroids: Parent addition. Helicopter parents are the ones who worry about each and every detail with the child and do so since their child is the number one priority to them and needs it to become everyone’s number one priority. Forget world hunger, make this child happy.
It is understandable to be a helicopter parent in the very early beginning stage of life (new born/ infant) as most parents of very young children worry for their safety, it is understandable to feel over protected of your child when they have no clue how to fully express themselves so as the parent you become their voice. This is great, perfect but like any good helicopter parent they don’t go away, e.v.e.r. The prolonging of being a helicopter parents shifts the parents own anxiety onto their growing child. A five year old may have anxiety, but with a helicopter parent around worrying if her child will be line leader more than once today, is another categories of species which the National Wildlife Federation should probably be aware of. As soon as the child is roughly 1 years old, the overbearing parental helicopter stages needs to take a back seat in order to promote the best growth for the child. In my opinion and from experiences I believe that the continuation of being a helicopter parent leads to dependent children and adults who have no motivation, drive, or ability to accomplish tasks fully on their own.
Tiger mom:
I understand this stage, I feel for it but with everything balance is always going to be key. I grew up with pretty strict parents who put a large emphasis on respect which children need to learn. The rules regarding this are understandable through elementary school (roughly ages 5-11) in order to build discipline, respect, and accountability. These rules and discipline help the child have boundaries to help them be able to deal with situations in the future (getting a job, a stronger work ethic, and the importance of respect).
Balance is key with this, if you restrict something excessively the child will either rebel or as they grow older completely go against what they grew up with. This stage should be balance with Jellyfish dad parenting but less of a focus through preteen and teenage years.
Jellyfish dad:
“I’m not like any mom, I’m a cool mom.”
Being a relaxed parent with practically no rules is great for when they start making decisions for themselves with the guidance of their parents. This stage is not something to start at 5 years old when the only thing the child wants to each for dinner is candy. This may be fun, but not a great dietary plan. No point should a child be making decisions and controlling the outcome of a situations when it comes to parenting technique. As the child grows up the relationship is not a friendship nor a dictatorship but a mixture of both. Too much jellyfish parenting could also be seen as neglect with absent instructions and little discipline. If the child is unaware about reward and punishment they will severely struggle as they get older and face challenges which don’t go their way. Jellyfish parenting should start about high school and used beforehand but less focused on.
Conclusion
The best way to parent is through a combination of all three parenting techniques based off of different ages. The main ones being used are going to be Tiger mom and Jellyfish dad. As the child becomes a preteen you should be able to have a conversation and relaxed rules based off of the person the child is from their childhood and how they were raised (given a standard supportive upbringing without a trauma). As the child gets older, with more relaxed rules allows for less rule breaking and more open and effective communication. In my opinion this is the best way to create a good person and for them to be the happy and healthy.
Loretta Gabrielle 
In response to your first impression post for chapter 4, I agree immensely. I’ve dealt with children at camps myself and seeing the way that some parents react. While there are multiple ways to parent, there are pros and cons to each parenting style. I agree with you that helicopter parenting is essentially the worst and I have had multiple cases with helicopter moms. It’s really annoying almost to constantly be watched over like a hawk and feeling like you can’t say anything bad or wrong because you’ll get a talking to from the helicopter parent. A pro to helicopter parenting is that they spend time with their child unlike the uninvolved parenting, who are kind of just like roommates and only really meet the basic legal requirement. I think that being involved the parent wants to just keep an eye out on their child and make sure that nothing bad happens. A con to helicopter parenting would be that it’s an extreme form of overparenting. You aren’t letting your child breathe in other words. They have no independence and after a while just look up to the parents for the answers. Another style of parenting is the “free range” parenting which is also considered the permissive parenting style, where the parents let the children discover the world in their own way and don’t have much structure.
Along with all of these parenting styles, I also think it depends on when (age wise) you have a particular style. I think that yes, being a helicopter parent when the child is just born or maybe a toddler but not much more than that. You want to ensure that your child doesn’t fall and get hurt but you also want them to move on and make their own decisions. As the child moves more through their life, I think that the next stage would be a mix between authoritarian, where the parents are overly strict, and authoritative, where the parents blend high standards for their kids so they can achieve. Being too authoritarian could lead to a child who fights back and argues or a child who listens but is very stressed and has certain things to do at certain times.
The best parenting I believe and that researchers show would be the authoritative or the “dolphin parent.” Even though we didn’t really talk about dolphin parenting, it’s a good combination of almost all the parenting styles; helicopter, tiger and jellyfish. I think that a dolphin parent creates a high standard for their kids and they are still warm and loving. Instead of being overly strict (authoritarian) and “hands off” (permissive), a nice inbetween creates a child who is independent, happy and content, has good social skills and can explore the environment with out fear of anything around them. I really liked what you had to say about all of the parenting styles. The way in which you said it also was very surreal and how we talk about it today in society versus the way a psychologist might talk about it with a lot of terms etc.
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