At the same time, authoritative parents use discipline judiciously.

Unlike authoritative parents, permissive parents shy away from discipline. They are overly indulgent to their child's whims. Permissive parents tolerate a wide range of behaviors that would not be tolerated by either authoritarian or authoritative parents. Although permissive parents can be emotionally nurturing, they often erect barriers to parent-child communication because of not paying closer attention to the developmental and maturation needs of the child.

Authoritative parents do not show much warmth toward their children. They can be unresponsive and emotionally detached, demanding a "be seen, not heard" environment. Discipline is heavy-handed but unlike authoritative parents, authoritarian parents do not explain their punishments or communicate with their children. However, they do not coddle their children like permissive parents do and do not tolerate emotional outbursts.

The effect of parenting style on self-esteem has been widely studied. Children who grow up in...
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