When Carrie Bourgo’s toddler had a tantrum and swung his fists at her, she instinctively scooped him up to spank him — but froze. “Wait a second, I’m about to smack this kid and tell him we don’t hit,” she remembers. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
More than a decade later, Bourgo says that day was the turning point in her life — a shift toward finding a parenting style that aligned with her values.
For many parents, the search for successful parenting knowledge feels endless. Books, blogs and social media offer a never-ending library’s worth of advice, yet there’s no definitive guide to raising children. Through conversations with local parents, four prominent approaches emerged: authoritative, negotiation, gentle and go-with-the-flow parenting. While no self-professed “helicopter parents” volunteered to step forward (a missed opportunity for sure), these shared perspectives provide a snapshot of the joys and challenges of parenting in 2025.
Authoritative Parenting: Discipline, Boundaries and Structure
As a father of a 4-year-old son and with a daughter on the way, Bently Bamburg’s long-term goal is to raise disciplined, confident and kind children who are prepared for the real world. By balancing structure with support, he hopes to equip them with the tools to grow into responsible, well-adjusted adults. “Kids actually strive for discipline,” he explains. “They need structure — it makes them feel more comfortable knowing where those boundaries are.”