Are You a Positive Parent?
A free 90-second self-check based on evidence from Triple P, the AAP's 2018 discipline policy, Siegel & Bryson, Dr. Becky Kennedy, John Gottman, Diana Baumrind, and the Search Institute.
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About this quiz
You answer 7 short questions about everyday parenting situations — what you do when your kid doesn't listen, how you handle a tantrum, how often you say "I love you" — and the result places you in one of three buckets (Positive / Growing / Learning Parent) with 2–3 personalised, evidence-based tips drawn from your actual answers. Each tip references a specific technique with a name you can look up.
Why positive parenting?
Decades of research from Diana Baumrind's authoritative-parenting typology (1966–1983) onward show that warm + firm + consistent parenting produces kids who are more confident, more resilient, and less anxious. The AAP's 2018 policy ("Effective Discipline to Raise Healthy Children", Sege & Siegel, Pediatrics 142(6):e20183112) explicitly classifies yelling and corporal punishment as ineffective long-term. The small everyday habits compound — Gottman's 5:1 positive-to-negative ratio is built one warm moment at a time.
Frequently asked questions
What is positive parenting?
The convergence of authoritative parenting (Baumrind), Triple P (Sanders), and contemporary frameworks like Dr. Becky's "Good Inside" and Siegel & Bryson's "No-Drama Discipline." It combines warmth with clear structure, prioritises connection before correction, and emphasises self-regulation modelling over coercion.
Is yelling at kids bad?
The AAP's 2018 policy classifies yelling as minimally effective short-term and not effective long-term, with documented links to increased aggression and reduced self-control over time.
What is "Ask-Say-Do"?
Triple P's evidence-based replacement for yelling. Get to eye level, ask once calmly, say once calmly, then act. Sanders' meta-analyses show it reduces noncompliance and parent stress simultaneously.
Is it OK to apologise after yelling?
Yes — Dr. Becky Kennedy calls the repair script more important than parental perfection: "My big feelings came out as yelling. That wasn't your fault. I'm working on managing them."
How much one-on-one time should I spend with my child?
Research from Sheila Eyberg's PCIT (Parent-Child Interaction Therapy) and Triple P shows 10–15 minutes daily of child-led, phone-free play measurably reduces oppositional behaviour within weeks. Use the PRIDE skills: Praise, Reflect, Imitate, Describe, Enjoy.
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Last reviewed 2026-06-06 by the Family Checklist Editorial Team, based on Triple P (Sanders), AAP 2018 discipline policy (Sege & Siegel), Siegel & Bryson's "No-Drama Discipline" / "The Power of Showing Up", Dr. Becky Kennedy's "Good Inside" (2022), John Gottman's emotion coaching, Diana Baumrind's parenting typology, and the Search Institute 40 Developmental Assets framework.