parenting
n. all actions related to the raising of offspring. Researchers have described different human parenting styles—ways in which parents interact with their children—with most classifications varying on the dimensions of emotional warmth (warm vs. cold) and control (high in control vs. low in control). One of the most influential of these classifications is that of U.S. developmental psychologist Diana Baumrind (1927– ), involving four types of styles: authoritarian parenting, in which the parent or caregiver stresses obedience, deemphasizes collaboration and dialogue, and employs strong forms of punishment; authoritative parenting, in which the parent or caregiver encourages a child’s autonomy yet still places certain limitations on behavior; permissive parenting, in which the parent or caregiver is accepting and affirmative, makes few demands, and avoids exercising control; and
rejecting–neglecting parenting, in which the parent or caregiver is unsupportive, fails to monitor or limit behavior, and is more attentive to his or her needs than those of the child.