Kids have a bigger say in parenting than you think

While most parents think they are the ones in control of the upbringing of their kids, a new study showed that the ball isn’t in their court all the time.

 

The study suggests that parenting is not about the characteristics of a mum or dad alone, but rather, something that results from a child’s attributes as well as their parent’s.

 

When researchers looked at over 14,000 twins, they found that mums and dads disciplined and praised children based on the personality of their child.

 

This means a well behaved child receives a different form of discipline than a not so well behaved kid.

 

Author of the study, Reut Avinun, said: “Most studies of parenting look at only the reverse - how parents affect their children’s experiences.”

 

Reut suggests that parents look at both parties, especially since parenting doesn’t affect children in the same family in the same way.

 

The findings also support the idea that a child’s influence on the parents grows with age: “As children become increasingly [independent], their genetic tendencies are more likely to be able to affect their behaviour, which in turn influences parental behaviour,” explained Professor Avinun.