Neglectful Parenting Style

A neglectful parenting style sometimes called uninvolved parenting can be described as someone who is emotionally detached from their child.

They offer very little support and are simply just not involved in their child’s life.

This may lead to harmful consequences on the child’s development and well-being.

We will explore the characteristics of the neglectful parenting style, later the pros and cons, and finally the effects on the children who are brought up by neglectful parents.

momignoringchildMom and son sitting on a large rock in a field. They are both bent over with their heads in their hands and they have their backs toward one another.

Characteristics of a Neglectful Parenting Style:

1.  Lack of Emotional Support: They are unresponsive to their children’s needs. They provide little to no love, affection, warmth or support.

2.  Limited Supervision: Neglectful parents often leave their children unsupervised or neglect to monitor their activities.

This behaviour leaves their child exposed to the many potential dangers and risks in life.

3.  Indifference to Child's Needs: Neglectful parents exhibit very little interest in their child’s emotional, physical and educational needs.

They will ignore the child’s need for things such as food, clothing or medical care. 

4.  Absence of Rules and Boundaries: They are not consistent with the rules and boundaries expected from their children. Leading to insecurity and confusion in the kid’s life. 

dadreadingDad is sitting on sofa and reading a book and seems to be ignoring his son, while his son is sitting beside him with a soccer ball in his hands and looking at his dad. depositphotos.com

5.  Focus on Personal Needs: In a neglectful parenting style, the parents will make a point of putting their own needs on a pedestal before even considering their child’s well-being.

They can sometimes be so distracted in thought, giving little care, time or energy to parenting. 

6.  Limited Communication:  They do not communicate much with their kids, therefore leading to a lack of parent and child connection.

7.  Unresponsive to Child's Achievements or Challenges: Neglectful parents fail to celebrate or even acknowledge their child's accomplishments.

When times are tough or challenging for the child they get no support from their parents.

8.  Inconsistent Parental Presence: Neglectful parents are physically present but emotionally absent leaving the child feeling neglected and abandoned.

Pros and Cons for the Neglectful Parent:

Pros:

1.  Independence and Freedom: A neglectful parent enjoys independence and a sense of freedom, since they are not overly involved in their child's activities or life.  

2.  Reduced Pressure and Stress: Neglectful or uninvolved parents will have less pressure and stress to deal with.

They won't have the burden of all the extra parental duties or they won't have to deal with any of the more intensive parenting styles.

saddepressedboyYoung boy sitting on a wood chest outside looking very sad and depressed.

Cons:

1.  Regret and Guilt: This type of parenting can conjure up some feelings of regret and guilt because they are not meeting their child’s needs providing adequate support and care.

2.  Relationships are Estranged: Neglectful parenting style can lead to estranged or strained relationships between the child and parent.

A lack of support or emotional connection will damage any type of bond between them.

3.  Long-Term Consequences: Both the parent and the child may experience long-term consequences of neglectful parenting.

This may include emotional issues and even psychological issues that could be carried into adulthood. 

Actually this type of parenting will almost definitely leave the child scarred and the parent regretting how they raised their child. 

Effects on Children Raised with a Neglectful Parenting Style:

Positive Effects:

1.  At an early age, these kids may develop independence and self-reliance.

2.  They may learn to handle situations on their own, like solving problems or they may promote self-motivation.

Negative Effects:

1.  Emotional Neglect: These children experience emotional neglect, leading to feelings of insecurity, low self-esteem and loneliness.

2.  Poor Academic Performance: Because these kids don’t get much support or encouragement to succeed in school from a neglectful parent, their academic performance tends to be quite poor.

3.  Behavioral Problems: Due to the lack of guidance and supervision by the parent a child may recieve, they might experience behaviour problems such as defiance, bullying, aggression and possibly delinquency. 

unsuremomdepositphotosMom is standing beside a sofa with Dad and boy while they are all looking sadly at the camera. depositphotos.com

4.  Fear of Dependence Issues: These children struggle to form a healthy and secure attachment to others due to the lack of nurturing and emotional support. 

5.  Risky Behaviours: Children raised by neglectful parents may engage in risky behaviours such as substance abuse, promiscuity, and self-harm as a way to cope with their feelings of neglect and abandonment. 

6.  Difficulty Forming Relationships: Children from this environment may find it difficult to form lasting and meaningful relationships because they may struggle with intimacy and trust issues.

7.  Emotional Regulation Problems: Mental problems are common in children who have been neglected most of their lives.

For example, anxiety, mood disorders or depression due to difficulty regulating their emotions.

While neglectful parents may be free to do whatever they want and experience less stress.

This style of parenting makes it very important for the parents to recognize the need to make improvements to their relationship with their child.

They will have a better chance at meeting their child’s emotional needs and providing them with a supportive environment for healthy growth and development.

Otherwise, the long-term consequences can be harmful to both parent and child.

Neglectful Parenting Example

boyatschoolYoung boy sitting at his desk in school with his head on his outside knuckles looking sad and pouting.

A friend of mine, she’s a school teacher. She loves her job, however, it eventually became very sad and stressful for her.

The parents would bring their children to school, with Tim Hortons or Starbucks coffee in one hand, a cigarette in the other and they'd be all dolled up.

However, the kids were not very well dressed and they would rush into the school looking for food. (The school had a breakfast program).

The kids had the saddest looks on their faces and walked with very little enthusiasm, except to get some food.

She called me one evening, she was so depressed, I let her vent, she wasn't sure if she was going to quit her job or continue on for the kids. She ended up staying for the kid's sake.

She was the constant reminder to them that there were good people in the world who were there to support and comfort them.