What Kind of Parent Are You?

You let your children color all over the walls, jump on the furniture and go to bed whenever they want. You have pizza for dinner three times a week, and you let them play in the mud and get paint on their clothing. Though it might seem to other people that your parenting skills are lacking in discipline and structure, your parenting style is actually quite intentional. You love and enjoy your children and watching them grow up, and by creating a fun, relaxed environment you are allowing your kids to have every opportunity to express themselves creatively. You want your children to decide who they are for themselves, without a bunch of stuffy rules that tell them who to be.

You read so many books and theories on parenting, and study everyone else's approach to raising their children in order to figure out how best to raise your own. Your parenting style is a smart blend of theories and practices from all over the place, adjusted to suit the needs of your own family. You're somewhat notorious, however, for implementing rules and then replacing them with a new set of rules just as fast, which can leave your kids confused. Just as you think that you agree with one theory, another theory comes along that changes your mind and switches your gears in the opposite direction. While it's great that you're obviously a caring, dedicated parent, you might be taking all the theories a bit too seriously, and would probably benefit from putting down the books and following your heart once in a while.

Be honest-you love your kids to death, but parenting isn't exactly your thing. You go through the motions, helping with homework, breaking up fights and cooking healthy meals, all while watching the clock impatiently and waiting for it to be bedtime. Don't worry-the kids will be adults before you know it, and you'll be able to sit back, relax and appreciate the fine adults that they've become in peace and tranquility until they ask you to babysit the grandkids while they're at work.

Your children's lunches contain things like organic quinoa, tofu and brown rice, and you don't let them leave the house without looking picture perfect. In fact, they've got to look picture perfect inside the house as well so you can take pictures of them doing fun, educational and gorgeously mess-free activities that you searched and set up for them all morning long. You are so proud of your children that every single moment of their life is a photo opportunity, and a chance to show your Facebook and Instagram friends that you're a super mom. Here's the thing-there's really no such thing as a super mom, but don't worry-everyone thinks you are, anyway.

You've got so much going on career-wise, or socially, that, let's be honest-you sometimes forget that your children are there. You probably have a nanny, because your life demands one, and might have even forgotten to pick a child up a time or two. You've got a busy life, and while you might not be present for every single soccer game or piano concert, you've got a great excuse-and you make sure to make it up to the kids with plenty of cuddle time when you are home, and amazing family vacations to far-off, exotic destinations.

Children need discipline in their lives. In fact, children crave discipline-you know, because you read that somewhere. And ever since then, you have done everything in your power to monitor, limit, direct and decide every single step in your child's life, for their own good. By setting ground rules and sticking to them religiously, you may not be a 'fun' parent, but at least your children will grow up into secure, confident adults that can make wise decisions on their own. Or, at least that's what you hope will happen.