Effective parenting

In this chapter is presented a selection of relevant and applicable information regarding the actual parenting. The main mechanisms by which the family context and parents’ actual behaviours influence children’s emotional behaviour are approached. At this level the child’s learning to adjust its emotions is seen thorugh the emotions development theory (Tomkins, 1991), the two parental styles model (Zeman et al., 2010) and the tripartite model of the family influence (Morris et al., 2007). The parental styles and their influence in the child’s emotional development are approached from two different perspectives but equally applicable: the attachment perspective (J. Bowlby, 1951, 1969, M. Ainsworth, 1967, 1973) and the perspective of the emotions socialization parenting style (Zeman, 2010, Houltberg, Henry & Morris, 2012, Malatesta – Magai, 1991). In the third sequence it is offered the possibility to self-assess the parenting style by a scientifically validated instrument. An adequate parent-child emotional interaction substantiates the formation of the child’s emotional and social skills. In this regard, the last sequence of this chapter offers the possibility of being aware of the parental strategies you use more frequently and modify them in order to obtain a more efficient parenting.