Levels of Parenting

Not all parenting are the same. There are levels to parenting. The lowest level of parenting is not being a parent at all and abandoning the child from the outset of their birth. The next level up is bare minimum parenting where parents only care to ensure their child has their basic needs met to survive. After that is higher parenting where parents place importance on their child's grades and what they pursue as a career in the future. The highest level of parenting is caring not just for the child's education and their future career, but caring about building the child up emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

Abandoning a child can't even be called parenting. It creates the worst sort of connection between two biologically related individuals. The negative emotional and psychological effect abandonment has on a child more often than not affects them for a life time. Children that are abandoned grow up insecure, untrusting of others and with very low self esteem. This often leads them to have poor friendships, abusive intimate relationships and indifferent attitude towards people. At a macro level, the greater the number of children are abandoned the more fractured a society becomes and the closer a civilization is at its end.

Bare minimum parenting has many characteristics similar to permissive or uninvolved parenting. It is really doing the bare minimum when it comes to raising a child, bordering on neglect. It's said that these types of parents are loving as they provide few to no rules and have no expectation on their child's behavior. However, in reality bare minimum parenting is naive, lazy, self-centered, short sighted and cruel. It is naive for a parent to think their child will just naturally grow up to be a mature and responsible adult. It is self centered and lazy as it's a excuse to do other easier tasks instead of the hard task of having the tough conversations with a child and correcting a child. It is short sighted as the long term impact and effect it has on children is not even considered. It is cruel to kids as the people closest to them, who supposedly love them the most, don't love them enough to tell them the truth about their behavior when it is hard or willing to invest the time and attention they need when its inconvenient.

Higher parenting should be the basic standard and societal expectation for parents. These types of parents are actively involved in their child's development with a emphasis on good grades and pursuing higher education degrees that lead to high paying jobs. This type of parenting is far superior than bare minimum parenting as children that grow up in a higher parenting environment are usually achievement orientated and earn high grades in school. The downside to this type of parenting is it promotes IQ, but it usually neglects EQ. That means the focus is on the child being book smart, with minimum attention to non-existent teaching on being street smart and socially intelligent.

The highest level of parenting is similar to what is popularly known as authoritative parenting. These types of parents value not just their children's education, but also their emotional, mental and spiritual well being. They think holistically and on the long term effects their parenting style will have on their children. They are conscious of how they act around their children as they know whether they like it or not their children will look to them as role models and will pick up traits from them. Children raised by parents practicing the highest level of parenting become self reliant, academically successful, well mannered and socially intelligent. Every child deserves to be raised by parents who love them enough to tell them the truth when it is hard, enforce the rules when it is inconvenient, while at the same time be sensible enough to be responsive, caring and warm when needed.

Parenting children is one of the most important responsibilities in society as it involves raising the future of society. Poor parenting or lack of on a large scale creates a horde of weak minded and arrogant adults that can lead to the downfall of a entire civilization. Therefore it is important for society, government at every level to value the importance of good parenting and invest heavily in resources to help parents be the best parents they could be. As every parent is capable to practice the highest level of parenting and raise the next great change maker to propel humanity forward.