Parenting talk

We went for a parenting talk on Friday night at the children's kindergarten. It wasn't very detailed and I would say, quite high-level. Nevertheless, it was informational and interesting.

There are 4 main types of parenting styles:

1. Army general - strict, disciplined, views child as trouble-maker
2. Helicopter - always hovering around, very protective, views child as helpless
3. Fairy-godmother - gives in to everything, buys expensive toys as substitute for parental presence and love
4. Heart and head - loving, yet rational and firm to ensure the child gets rewarded and praised, punished and corrected accordingly.

Of course we all strive to be 4., but there's a lot to learn and nothing can be learned in a 2 hour, 2 day, 2 week course. Being a parent itself is a course, a life-long one. We pick things up along the way and drop those that are ineffective or even destructive.