I'm talking about you and your partner selecting a parenting style. You have the skills and

instincts to be a great parent, and you should trust yourself, but your parenting style is

the foundation for how you approach certain decisions like where your child sleeps and

how you tackle discipline issues. The style is different in parent's responsiveness and

expectations of their kids. Authoritative or positive parenting is like having a democracy.

Positive parents set up the rules and expect their children to follow them. These rules

and limits guide children in behaving properly both in and outside the home. This could be

expecting a child to say please and thank you to others or to pitch in and clean up

his toys. But in addition to setting up clear expectations, positive parents are willing

to listen to their children's feelings and concerns and problem solve together. Authoritarian

parenting is more like a dictatorship. Authoritarian parents also have high expectations for their

child's behavior, but they do not wanna hear the child's opinion of the rules. Mom and

dad know best and they are in-charge of the house. There's no negotiation in this parent-child

relationship. Permissive parenting is similar to anarchy. Permissive parents are responsive

to their children, but they lack setting limits or expectations. Parents play the role of

a friend rather than a leader or adviser. Government analogies aside, attachment parents

are highly responsive to children both day and night. The priority is to create a secure

parent-child bond or attachment, which helps the child gain trust and confidence. Attachment

parents set limits but try to do so in a nurturing way. They believe in non-physical discipline.

You and your partner should decide what works for your family and don't worry with what

your friends, in-laws, or random bloggers think. Have a plan that you're both happy

about regardless of whether it's an actual parenting style. Be flexible and be sure to

take a step back every now and then when it comes to your family life and your relationship

with your kids.