The Consequences of NOT Providing Your Children with Choices
Raising children with an iron fist does not prepare them for a world where emotional intelligence, decision making, and reasoning is more valuable than physical strength and order taking. The fact is that when you don’t teach children how to make choices for themselves they learn to prefer to be told what to do by others.
In other words, controlling everything your child does for the first 18 years of their life enforces a subordinate mindset. In extreme cases of parenting with an iron fist, children grow to fear making decisions and independence. Best case is that this fear only limits their career potential. Worst case is that it becomes dangerous. For example, a significant other taking advantage of the fear in the context of a controlling relationship.
Instead of attempting to control everything by parenting with an iron fist, it would be wise to share the power of decision making with your children. This means instead of always telling your child exactly what to do, provide several options that they can choose from. In addition, instead of telling them exactly how to do something, involve them in the process of figuring out how.
This is the best way to prepare a child to face the real world. Not controlling everything to protect them and mold them. But developing their decision making skills so they can protect themselves and lead.