ABSTRACT
The literature on parenting is replete with a sometimes-confusing array of terms to describe parenting types and dimensions. Researchers have used terms such as responsive parenting, sensitive parenting, democratic versus autocratic, and restrictive versus nonrestrictive. Trying to determine what makes for “good” parenting means wading through these terms-and more. Often the meaning is unclear from the label and readers have to judge a particular researcher’s usage and intent and evaluate the way in which parenting dimensions are measured. The task is complicated even more by the fact that the same term can have different meanings to different researchers.
