What's your parenting style?

I'm taking my cue from Lifestyle Network who posted these questions. I'm reposting them in my site because a healthy discussion has taken place in the original site and it's nice to know what other Moms in my network have to say. We can always pick up and learn from another person's point of view or experience.

Are you the dictator? The meek mother? The loudspeaker?

Or the best bud?

How do you discipline your kids? Does your style work?

Here was my reply :

I'd like to be the bestfriend but right now, I'm both the disciplinarian and the loud speaker. =) That's cause I have 2 girls and you know how Daddies are with their girls. I'm also strict by nature. I make the rules and I want them followed but I'd like to think that I'm quite reasonable when I make and implement them. I'm sure my 12 yr old doesn't agree but I always tell her that Mommy just wants what's best and she'll understand when she's older. Growing up, I was always at odds with my own Mom because she was forever telling me to do things her way and I hated it. But I've grown to appreciate her ways and thank her for what I've become today. She is now my bestfriend in the whole world. So if my girls have to hate me for now but will love me more eventually, I'm willing to make the sacrifice.

To be honest, I'm not sure if my style works with my eldest. She is 12 and although vocal about her opinions and persistent to a certain extent, she also has a tendency to be silent when we experience conflicts. I know for a fact she complains that "Mommy is so strict", especially to her grandparents. Sometimes I feel I may be holding the reigns too tightly and should allow her a bit more freedom to experience things for herself and learn from them when things don't go her way. But I'm also the extremely over-protective kind and I think this is what keeps me from loosening up sometimes. I just try to make her understand that there is a right time for everything. If she's not allowed to do certain things right now, it's only because we feel she's not ready yet.

With my 2 yr old though...I think at the moment she's more in control of us than we are of her =)

Go ahead, Mommies...lemme know what you think