A few weeks ago, I overheard a conversation in a coffee shop. It was between two mothers in their mid-thirties. They were speaking about another mother at their school and her approach to parenting. They recognised the warmth and love she felt for her children but were flabbergasted at her laissez-faire attitude to structure and boundaries. Essentially, they were describing what psychologists call permissive parenting. Diana Baumrind, a developmental psychologist, who identified the three styles of parenting in the 1960’s, defines permissive parents as “more responsive than they are demanding. They are non-traditional and lenient, allow considerable self-regulation, and do not require mature behaviour”. Now a days permissive parenting is generally identified by low demands and a high level of responsiveness. Parents who are incredibly loving and available for their children… who do not place many limits on their children’s behaviour. Signs that you may be pare