Seven Signs You Are a Strict Parent and Why it Doesn't Create Happy Children

Source: Parenting For Brain

What are Strict Parents Like? 

Parents who use an authoritarian style of parenting are called strict parents and this kind of parenting often results in kids who are unhappy with themselves and living an average life and having poor relationships as an adult. Strict parents develop well behaved kids but at the cost of their children’s mental health. 

Seven Signs that You are a Strict Parent

You have strict rules  

Strict parents create rules that are rigid and unsupportive to the overall wellbeing of the child. You can find yourself in the shoes of a strict parent role if you don't allow your child to voice their opinions and beliefs. All you do is force your decisions and create an environment that isn't very friendly for the children to express themselves. It can seriously damage a child’s self -esteem and confidence and the ability to make decisions for themselves. 

You give punishments 

Grounding your children and punishing them for inappropriate behavior is valid and justifiable when your kid does something wrong consistently. Most importantly correcting them after some mistakes can help them learn and be better. But, one thing that can qualify you as a strict parent is that you have punishments for every other thing. Your child didn’t eat their food for a day because they weren’t hungry but you punish them by taking their cell phone for another whole day. You have some home rules and you follow it up with some punishments. What’s even worse is that you give physical punishments to your child in response to their tantrums or emotional spells. 

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You force your decisions 

Parents are not always right in terms of everything. Sometimes parents make decisions that may not be good for their children even though their intentions are not bad. If you force your decisions on your children without letting them think for themselves then it's a bad sign and you might come off as a strict parent. This kind of behavior comes from the urge to control everything around you including the life of your children. Forcing your decisions on your children doesn’t let them grow properly and doesn't create a happy environment for them. 

You have unrealistic expectations and standards 

You have set unrealistic expectations and standards for your children that they should be perfect at everything that they do. Whether at school or at home you have a certain image that you have created for them that has sparked an expectation in you. You might expect them to not to lie to you at any time and expect them to excel at life or school because you have invested so much in them. If you have these traits then you could be a strict parent. 

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You cannot tolerate mistakes

Children make a lot of mistakes and they will probably make a lot in the future. A strict parent always fears whether their child is incompetent and will live a life of failure. The same fear manifests in the form of strict parenting where you cannot tolerate the child’s mistakes. Let your child make some mistakes and learn a few things. 

You are unresponsive and unsupportive. 

Strict parents have a hard time showing their emotions and giving validation to their children. This kind of behavior can create unwanted distance between the parent and child. Opening up emotionally can become a difficult task for your child if you are a strict parent. Children want a supportive and friendly environment to grow and thrive in and become all round human beings. 

Perfect parenting doesn't exist and there are no perfect children either. The sooner you accept this fact the better your life will be. Strict parenting does not allow a child to grow and restricts the happiness of a child. Conscious and responsive parenting is the only way to raise happy kids who become happy adults.