This week we talked about parenting and problem solving. The one thing that I would like to focus on is the different styles of parenting. The 3 styles are: Authoritarian, Permissive, and Authoritative. The authoritarian style is basically like a dictatorship. It's all about regulation. The permissive style is more like a friendship. There is little to no correction. The authoritative style is where the parent listens and corrects. There are boundaries that are set. I think that the correct way to parent is the authoritative style. I think that it is important to treat your kids as kids, and set appropriate boundaries so they can learn right from wrong in a proper way. I have met people who have raised their kids in a permissive way, and it allows the child to run the show. They aren't prepared for the real world, and they seem to think they can also boss around and whine to their peers. I have also met parents who raise their kids authoritarian style. This causes problems with the child as well. I feel like kids become more rebellious and do things that they know they're not supposed to in spite of their parents. I also think that some kids grow up hating their parents, and they lose relationships with them.
I don't know what exactly it is to be a perfect parent, but I can only hope that I can become as close to a perfect parent as possible when I become one.

Working Families

This week we talked about working families. The one thing that was pointed out that really stood out to me was in the history of the world, work was not separate from family. We talked about how kids would go to work with their parents and families would work together. I think that this could be so beneficial for families in these days. So often families are being separated by different jobs that it makes them have separate lives from each other. When I was young I remember my Dad working all the time. He was only around every once in awhile. My mom also has always had a job. She wouldn't work as many hours, but I remember not wanting her to leave or spend too much time on school because she wasn't focusing on me. That sounds selfish, but as a child I needed more time with my parents. I am grateful that my parents both worked because it taught me independence and how to work hard. I just wish that they hadn't worked so much and that we could have spent more time together as a family.

"Work used to be about life, and now life is about work."