PARENTING
WHAT’S YOUR PARENTING STYLE? AND IS IT TEACHING THE LESSONS YOU WANT TO IMPART? WRITTEN BY REBECCA FISCHER
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arents have always relied on a community for support when raising kids. This year’s pandemic has made that support largely unavailable. We asked local parenting pro and licensed clinical professional counselor Grace A. Stout for some tips to help parents during this unparalleled time. Stout works at Resonate Relationship Clinic in Overland Park and holds a master’s degree from K.U., with extensive post-graduate training in marriage and family therapy. She is a former licensed school counselor in the Blue Valley School District, holds a Play Therapy Certification, and has been clinically licensed for over 20 years. One program Stout has seen particularly good results with when helping parents in the KC area is called Love and Logic (loveandlogic.com), founded by a child psychiatrist and school administrator. The focus is on putting fun back into parenting while raising
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SIMPLYkc MAGAZINE
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DECEMBER 2020
psychologically healthy children. Before looking at solutions for raising happy, healthy, responsible kids, it can help to identify which type of parenting style you most identify with. “How we show love can get us into trouble,” Stout says. “This program breaks parenting into categories. We can see ourselves in each category from time to time, but with personal observation, we can more accurately choose how to respond.”
Helicopters, Drill Sergeants, and Consultants When it comes to determining your parenting style, it can be helpful to look at specific situations. For example, imagine your 10-year-old got a new bike. You bought a lock to keep it safe and went over what your child’s responsibilities were for using that lock. The bike is stolen because they forgot to lock it. How will you respond? The Drill Sergeant parent will elevate their voice, remind the child that they
