There’s no question that parenting impacts a child’s development, and according to some psychologists, some styles are better than others, particularly for kids raised under the harsh light of fame.
Whether the mother or father is a reality star, a famous singer, or an actor, the ideal parenting style varies depending on the family and the child.
“Too many [celebrity] parents today think they should be friends with their kids so that their kids will be like them,” Beverly Hills psychiatrist and author Carole Lieberman told The Epoch Times. “This is abdicating responsibility and is just lazy parenting.”
Some reality TV parents like Yolanda Hadid have been criticized for encouraging radical eating habits in their children.
Hadid, formerly a main cast member of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” told her top model daughter, Bella Hadid, in a 2014 episode to eat a couple of almonds if she was feeling weak and “chew them really well.”
As a result, “almond mom” became a popular hashtag on social media platforms with more than one thousand posts.
“Yolanda Hadid’s almond mom tendencies reflect a focus on strict diet and body image and can indicate a personality that prioritizes control and appearance,” licensed marriage and family therapist Sandra Kushnir told The Epoch Times.
The advantages to being an almond mom, according to Kushnir, are instilling discipline in the child and awareness of health and fitness.
The disadvantages, however, are significant and include fostering anxiety.
“This approach can have negative effects on a child’s self-esteem and relationship with food, potentially leading to disordered eating or body image issues,” Kushnir added.
Kushnir is the founder of Meridian Counseling in Los Angeles.
Neither the ex-“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star nor her daughter Bella Hadid replied to requests for comment.
Other famous parents, like Kim Kardashian, who have busy lives, are considered too permissive by parenting experts.
“I have a hard time saying ‘no is no,’” she said. “I think I also don’t want to deal with the whining and the tears of not getting their way.”
Kim Kardashian is the co-founder of the shapewear clothing company Skims, which is valued at more than $4 billion.
Alan Thomalla, a licensed psychologist in the Midwest, said that children subjected to permissive parenting can develop behavioral issues, because structure and boundaries are important.
“It can lead to entitlement in the children and a lack of respect for authority,” Thomalla told The Epoch Times. “Children may struggle with self-discipline and decision-making skills.”
Kim Kardashian’s sister, Kourtney Kardashian, is identified by Los Angeles-based author, parenting coach, and therapist Tammy Gold as practicing attachment parenting.
An attachment parenting style prioritizes bonding by sleeping and bathing with the child and immediately catering to the child’s every need.
“Ninety percent of the brain is formed in the first few years of life,” Gold told The Epoch Times. “I am a fan of attachment parenting, which focuses on having lots of one-to-one caregiving during the child’s first years.”
There are, however, disadvantages to attachment parenting, according to Kushnir, such as children becoming very clingy.
“The cons may include the potential for fostering over-dependence and difficulty with separation as the child grows,” she said.
Neither of the Kardashian sisters responded to requests for comment.
Lieberman’s favorite parenting style is authoritative, as displayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was an action star before serving as the governor of California from 2003 to 2011.
“These parents help their kids reach the high expectations they set for them,” Lieberman said. “They are very involved in positive ways.”
Authoritative parents are known for setting firm limits, and they do not shy away from disciplining their children.
But Kiran Dintyala, a medical doctor in San Diego and multi-book author, views authoritative parenting as bordering on controlling.
“The parent wants what they want and not what the kid wants, even at the expense of the child’s emotional health and needs,” Dintyala told The Epoch Times.
Schwarzenegger did not respond to requests for comment.
Finally, there’s helicoptering, in which parents are overly involved in their children’s lives and hover over everything they do to the point of micromanaging and, for example, completing their homework for them.
“Full House” actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli are cited as examples of helicopter parents, because they engaged in fraud in order to help their daughter Bella gain entry into the University of Southern California.
Loughlin served two months, while Giannulli served five months for the offense after pleading guilty.
Loughlin declined to comment through her publicist Elizabeth Much.
Overall, individual parents may exhibit a mix of different parenting methods, depending on various factors such as cultural background, personal beliefs, and life circumstances.
“There is no ‘one size fits all’ best parenting style,” Thomalla added. “The best parenting style is one that considers the strengths and vulnerabilities of the children while reflecting the abilities of the parents and honoring the family, community, and culture in which the family lives.”
