“Parents who are not harshly punitive, but who set firm boundaries and stick to them, are significantly more likely to produce children who are high achievers and who get along well with others,” states U.S.News & World Report. Such parents are termed “authoritative” (“do it for this reason”), as opposed to “authoritarian” (“do it because I’m the parent”) and “permissive” (“do whatever you want”), disciplinary styles that produced children with behavioral traits that were markedly different. The studies, which spanned two decades, showed that authoritative parents were more likely to have children who were stable, contented, self-controlled, and self-reliant, and who were less likely to experiment with drugs. “Authoritative parents are not bossy,” says University of California psychologist Diana Baumrind, who conducted the studies. “They make it their business to know their children, how they’re doing in school and who their friends are. Their control reflects a high level of commitment to the child, and they are not afraid to confront the child.”
