Raising kids in the digital age: New age parenting styles

Up until now, parenting was pretty straightforward. You were supposed to send your kids to school, keep them away from bad company, and spend a bit of quality time with them. The best part? You didn’t have to worry about any negative influences as long as your kids were inside the house. However, things have changed quite drastically with the massive acceptance of the digital world. Now, your kid can access millions of social apps and tools to connect with strangers. Sadly, most parents aren’t equipped with the tools necessary to monitor their children when they are using such apps. So, this situation calls for new age parenting styles that protect children from straying on the wrong path. The following article will build more on this concept and how you can best raise your child in this digital age.

What is new age style of parenting?

Frankly, the constant shift in the digital world can make new age parenting styles a bit complicated. However, if you keep track of basics like tech advancements and the psychological impact of social media, you’ll be in the green. Compared to traditional parenting, you’ll definitely have to put in more effort. However, you’ll at least have peace of mind that your child is disciplined and will always remain on the right path.

Let’s cover more on the key aspects of the new age parenting styles.

• Flexibility: These days there is no “one-stop formula” that you can implement for every kid. Instead, you need to focus on understanding your kid’s personality and use a personalized approach. That way, your child is more likely to listen to your insights without being rebellious.
• Tech: The digital age is all about tech and how it is constantly advancing. You will have to educate yourself about all the apps and tools that are available to your child. Moreover, you will need to discover all the different methods you can use to keep your child away from harmful media. The key here is to always be more technically literate than your child. That way, you won’t get tricked by your kid.
• Emotional Intelligence: New age parenting style focuses especially on letting kids understand how they can express themselves. With the constant rise of mental health issues, it has become crucial for parents to educate their kids in such a manner. This approach promotes resilience and more self-awareness in a kid, setting them up to succeed in the real world.

All in all, you have to be present and keep your child away from all the harmful things they can find online. Moreover, you need to make them realize that they can come to you in case of any issues. That way, you’ll be able to effectively navigate their life in the right direction. On top of that, your child will be more respectful of the boundaries you set for them.

7 New age parenting styles

Here are 7 new age parenting styles that reflect these modern trends, each offering unique perspectives and strategies to nurture your kids in the digital age.

Attachment Parenting

Attachment parenting is built around creating strong emotional bonds between parents and children with the help of co-sleeping, extended breastfeeding, and babywearing. According to this approach, close physical proximity and attentiveness to the child’s needs lead to secure attachment and, subsequently, emotional stability and strong self-confidence.

• Pros: Children who are raised according to attachment parenting principles typically form strong emotional bonds with their parents, which may improve their ability to regulate their emotions and make them feel more secure. As for parents who practice this style of parenting, it fosters empathy and attentiveness to the needs of the child.
• Cons: Attachment parenting is notorious for being very demanding for both parents, as it requires a lot of time, physical closeness, and emotional investment. In addition, it may impact the needed balance since being responsive to the child’s needs may sometimes prevent parents from devoting sufficient attention to their personal or professional lives.

Helicopter Parenting

Helicopter parenting is characterized by over-control of the children and parents’ involvement in all aspects of the child’s life to guarantee safety and success. Parents determine and monitor children’s academic achievements, social activities, and extracurricular projects to prevent any failure or risk.

• Pros: The possibility to prevent children from any dangerous activities and to provide them with equal opportunities for success as well as the guarantee of high academic performance, a structured environment.
• Cons: Over-involvement may lead to the absence of independence, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. It is difficult for children to be autonomous when they grow up because they are accustomed to relying on parents for decision-making.

Free-Range Parenting

The philosophy behind the method is based on facilitating independence among the offspring by making them take the initiative regarding exploring and interacting with the environments with minimum interference from the parent. Accordingly, it should be accomplished by developing the process of learning as well as risking decisions or even picking their version of fun.

• Pros: As a result of the policy used, the offspring will be less dependent on the parent, more self-assured, and able to solve most life challenges. They will be developed with the knowledge of how to handle risks as well as select decisions. The result of the approach is expected to bring offspring that can take care of themselves and navigate the dangerous terrains associated with life sometimes.
• Cons: A rather significant problem in making a relevant application of the mentioned parenting strategy is the realization that either the offspring is not that safe or the parent will be labeled as negligent.

Permissive Parenting

This style of parenting allows children to make decisions on their own as it is lacking restrictions. At the same time, the mentioned style might be considered warm as parents can frequently show love to their children and tend to avoid punishment.

• Pros: As there are no restrictions, children can perceive the world free from control. The described style has a creative approach as it adds some independence to the perception of the parents. Both parents and their children do not need to follow precise rules, and the only restriction of this style is the portion of general goodness and safety.
• Cons: Children may start being naughty. Moreover, they would have problems at school. Finally, children are likely to have some issues in respecting boundaries and other authorities.

Authoritative Parenting

This parenting style combines high expectations with responsiveness. Authoritative parents know what their children ought to achieve and create a warm environment. They set demands and then establish clear rules while soothing children’s emotional responses. In particular, they explain decisions clearly with respect and empathic underpinning.

• Pros: Children who receive such training have outstanding social skills and a high degree of emotional intelligence. They are rarely repressed or angry, as they share their experiences openly with their parents. In most cases, these parents believe that their children deserve the freedom of expression within the framework rules.
• Cons: Their children are not protected from difficulties and therefore face many challenges in various aspects of life. They are expected to occupy a position or engage in business, which requires constant vigilance. Parents must also be adaptable and keep up with the changes to avoid inappropriate behavior.

Digital Parenting

The style of parenting includes responsible technology used for parenting. This includes screen time control, ensuring online safety, and applying educational apps. Overall, the style allows acknowledging the extent to which the devices are a kid’s daily life. Furthermore, it teaches the children to benefit from the new devices and avoid their pitfalls.

• Pros: prepares the children for growing opportunities and becoming literate. It also keeps the children away from the different hazards that are online and becomes knowledgeable of fertilization uses of new devices.
• Cons: technology keeps on changing and being a respondent to the changing rules may be cumbersome. Furthermore, parents have to observe and implement technology rules and this can take a toll as they have to be at par with digital kids.

Mindful Parenting

The approach to mindful parenting is associated with being focused and capacity to give an instant reply. Also, parents are encouraged to realize children’s inner desires and give them what they want. This approach may not be very effective, but it is a way to become very close to the children.

• Pros: The main feature of such a method is an improved connection with the children. It also helps with reduced levels of stress, and encouragement of emotional control.
• Cons: Parents may lack time to be always with the children and follow their needs and not being able to practice their emotional control.

When did parenting styles change?

Technological perspective. From a technological perspective, parenting style has been significantly changing due to the development and popularization of different devices and the internet. Here is a simple overview of how the technology was progressively changing parenting style:

Internet. When the internet first became more generally available in the 1990s, and the emergence of virtual gambling websites such as the first online casino and other Bill’s endeavors, it started to form how parents raise their kids.

Devices. As the computer was becoming more generally available in the household, another challenge manifested itself: the introduction of mobile phones and other devices. Other devices began to become a problem.

Connectivity. Throughout the system’s evolution, social media, and smartphones. Smartphones created an opportunity to always stay “connected,” a possibility that previously did not exist, creating an opportunity for the parent to block their kids’ access and guard it.

Modern parenting vs traditional parenting

Modern parenting and traditional parenting illustrate two different ways of raising a child, which are established by two different backgrounds relating to history and culture. Here is a quick overview of the similarities and differences between these two options.

Similarities

• Love and Support. Both styles suggest the importance of providing a child with love and support. It is clear that the well-being of a child and his or her happiness is a priority for both traditional and modern parenting.
• Values and Morals. Generally parents in whatever culture and society try to teach their child what is right and wrong and what his or her responsibilities are. That is why both modern and traditional parenting focus on some values, refine ethical issues, and develop proper social behavior.
• Education. The attention of modern and traditional parenting is concentrated on the significance of education. At the same time, there is a difference in both methods and priorities. It is evident that both sides care about the success of the education of their children and try to develop it for better academic abilities.

Differences

• Discipline. Traditional parenting emphasizes strong discipline. The parent is superior to the child; sets rules and expects them to be followed. Modern parenting, in its turn, is less rigid. It is more of a positive discipline; uses negotiation, and takes into account the kid’s point of view. The modern version often regards discipline as a lesson rather than punishing the kid.
• Flexibility. Traditional style is strict, and there is a final type of everything that should be followed. Therefore it comprises established norms and a set of practices. Modern parenting is more flexible in regard to every practice and optional.
• Technology Integration. Traditional parenting excludes technology or does not pay much attention to this sphere. At the same time, the modern type uses technology for everything from providing the kid with information, controlling screen time, or surfing web, and blogs.

Is parental controls app good for new age parenting styles?

Raising kids in the digital world can be tough. And a parent should be equipped with the proper tools to keep their children safe. Luckily, with new age parenting, it is easy for parents to keep their kids away from the bad influences on social media. FlashGet Kids is one such option that can help you keep your child on track with minimal effort.

Here are some benefits you’ll get from these tools.

• Safety. Parental controls within FlashGet Kids keep kids safe from inappropriate content, online predators, and cyberbullying to create a safe digital environment.
• Screen Time Management. These features help regulate the amount of time children spend on devices, promoting healthier habits and preventing excessive screen time.
• Content monitoring. FlashGet Kids ensures that children have access to age-appropriate content, supporting their developmental needs while preventing exposure to harmful material. This helps in creating a positive and constructive digital experience.
• Digital Literacy. Parents can teach their children responsible digital behavior by setting boundaries and guidelines through parental controls in FlashGet Kids. This includes understanding online etiquette, privacy, and the potential risks associated with internet use.

In conclusion, parental controls play a vital role in new age parenting styles by enhancing safety, managing screen time, and fostering digital literacy. When used appropriately, they can support parents in creating a balanced and secure digital experience for their children.

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