How Parenting Has Changed Over The Years

Parenting techniques have changed over the years but in a recent study commissioned by MAOAM, a Haribo company, the changes seem to be a bit on the drastic side.

In a study of 2,000 parents surveyed; 1,000 people with kids under 16, and 1,000 parents with children over 30, it was found that parents are raising their children with new techniques and principles. 

The top five old-school parenting rules we USED to enforce:

1. Respect your elders.
2. You don't always get everything you want.
3. Kids have to do chores.
4. You have to sit down and eat together as a family.
5. You have to behave, especially in public.

 Now here are the five most common parenting techniques today:

1. Positive reinforcement instead of punishing them for bad stuff.
2. Giving them room to learn from their mistakes.
3. Giving them space to be playful and silly.  73% of parents today say they try to be more playful than strict.
4. Doing your best to connect with them.  That's compared to just 37% of older parents who said they tried to be "friends" with their kids.
5. Helping them identify their feelings and process them.

While I can understand parents wanting to adapt and update their parenting styles according to the times. I just don't understand what was so wrong with the way things were done in the past. The five rules that we used to enforce aren't anything shocking, so I am curious as to why people want to leave them in the past.

Maybe we can find a nice middle ground and blend the old with the new to come up with some great techniques to raise our children. The world is changing so the newest generation will need to have different resources available to them. A blend of some old and new techniques might be just what is needed for them to navigate this big scary world they are growing up in.