Parenting has always been an age-old topic of discussion. How come my friend's parents are cool and mine aren't? Or maybe my parents are so lax that I wish they would curb my behavior one day. Whether or not we think our parents are doing a great job raising us, it's doubly difficult for them to find the perfect balance of making sure we understand the value of their parenting and maybe even emulate them when we let's start our own family. The statement “the grass is always greener” is the first one that comes to mind when being a parent. As parents, my wife and I often wonder if we are doing enough to teach our children values ​​and discipline without crossing the line into authoritarianism. Does being punitive automatically qualify us as authoritarian? How do you balance house rules between our children? In our case, it is doubly difficult to impose the same rules on having an autistic child and another typically developing child. We must always be astute and evaluate each situation for each of our sons whether an action warrants disciplinary action or whether it is just typical developmental stages. For example, there will be times when our son, Nicholas, who is autistic, will intentionally spill water on the floor. What antecedents contributed to this behavior? Is he being mischievous or did a scene from a movie he was watching an hour before trigger him? Sometimes it is difficult to assess a situation quickly enough to react to it. The hardest decision would be: what would our response be? If we let it go and it is unjustified behavior, we risk giving positive reinforcement to the behavior. On the other hand, if it were as innocent as a form of echolalia, it would definitely be a mistake to reprimand the...... middle of paper ......e. The child may find himself questioning his decisions because it has always been the case that it is his parents' opinions that matter most and not their own. There is no crystal ball when it comes to parenting. One of these styles or a combination of one, two or three with all other factors such as personality, environment, living conditions, presence of other family members in the household, inconsistency of each parent, the character traits of the child and perhaps even those of other siblings. Personalities will be a determining factor in the ideal parenting style for each family context. That being said, it is very healthy for us to involve our children in our daily decisions and opinions. Share our thoughts and be open-minded to everyone's ideas or comments. It is the very nature of the relationship between parent and child that truly dictates the ideal parenting style...