Photo: David Castillo Dominici
In many circles, Latino parents are known for being strict disciplinarians who rarely spare the rod (or la chancla). But a new study shows that overly strict parenting can backfire.
The research, published in the Journal of Adolescence, found that parents who are extremely controlling are more likely to raise children who engage in delinquent behaviors because the kids don’t see them as legitimate authority figures.
The study goes on to outline three types of parenting styles: authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive. Authoritative parents who show discipline and warmth received both respect and results. These parents set clear boundaries, but also allowed their children to explain their concerns and their mistakes. Good parents also admit when they’ve made mistakes themselves.
Read more at WebMD.
About Adriana Villavicencio
Wow…
“spoil the rod”?
so fucking true. all spanish parents who are like that should read this, FOREALS!
Spare the rod………
Me & my siblings aren’t delinquents, and from experience, I disagree. Parents are too busy being lenient wanting to be their kid(s) friend. NO!!!
I won’t send my kids to anything but an international school because I don’t want them around these disrespectful mannerless disgraces to their ancestors demon seed whose lenient parents want to be their friend.
This is bs my parents were extremely strict and i turned out fine
Perhaps this study should show what country this study was made. I know that my parents were very strict and I am a profesional … so clear that out of the way and stop saying that “all Latinos or Hispanic” pointing fingers isn’t good either.
soo this study is saying that parents who were raised by their parents (strict) are risk raising delinquent kids? plop!! soo that will be every Latino born in the 60′s 70′s and 80′s
Disagree. My parents were on the strict traditional side. That kept me IN LINE. I don’t think parents today are strict enough or know how to discipline effectively. There are too many kids today with entitlement issues and lacking respect for their own parents.
I think we need to pay attention to the article. It says the study shows that it CAN backfire. That is a key word!! I am a strict parent but I give my kids the opportunity to speak their minds. I tell them, ‘This is not a democracy. This is a dictatorship. My word is law but you can tell me what bothers you.’ My mom was OVERLY strict with my sisters & I and yes we turned out fine. My aunt was the same way with my cousin but he didn’t come out like us.
Thanks for that, Amanda. People love to make generalizations based on their limited personal experiences. Research is based on the aggregate, on a larger sample than what you yourself may have experienced. Also, if you read the article, it speaks to exactly the point Amanda raised…your word can be law AND you can give your children the opportunities to speak their mind.
Kids are going to grow up to be what they want to be. I’ve seen parents who were really strict and have really bad kids, the same way I have seen strict parents with really good kids. The same goes for lenient parents…
That is sooo not true… My parents WERE and still ARE super strict and I’m thankful for that.
They showed me they cared about me and my sister.
And I’m hoping to be the same with my kinds.
Also, this common claim of “I turned out fine” is just one level of outcome. What if – and just consider this for a moment – you could have turned out better.
Once again… Being Latino: [Smh].
thats a “white” ideology… Sorry
Why is it a ‘white’ ideology? There is truth to the article and the study. What makes it ‘white’?
Amongst other things…
Parents are too easy these days. I was raised in a strict household (and I turned out fine) and I will raise my future kids in a strict houselhold as well. Nothing worse than unruly children.
Abner, what you call super strict may be what the article refers to as authoritative (versus authoritarian), which they recommend. If you read the article, you may see that your parents were not what would be classified as “overly strict (no warmth).”
We don’t need a study to show us this! We can look into our own family, friends, peers. All of us that grew up with stricter than strict parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles that all disciplined us when we were kids and see what direction in life that they took. Most went in the right direction and the rest rebelled. We need to read the article with an open mind and not just read what we want to read.
The best thing about being latino is when moma throws the chankla and says pendijo if your friends jump of a cliff are you..lol..rest in peace madre.
I think the “white ideology” comment is interesting. Consider the research that has been done on Latina students for example. On average, they are very well behaved and obedient, but also more passive and quieter than other students. These may seem like good traits in a rule-bound environment, but they are not necessarily what makes one successful in the real world.
And no discipline can produce delinquents too; see it all the time.
How many times have we been in a store & seen a 2-3 yr old throw a tantrum? Or hear a young person curse at the parent? Or sat on public transport with some 4 yr old kicking the back of your seat? Toooo lenient. Our parents would have snatched our heads off.
Heck I remember breaking a vase after my mom said to stop running in the house. OMG! I ran for my life, then I thought, if she’s chasing me Im really going to die. Lol!!!
Rosemary, no one is advocating for “no discipline.” Inf act, the article discusses the other extreme – “permissive parenting.”