My daughter is not even 9mo old and I feel like she’s so smart because I am like that to.. and so is her dad. We love our kid and cuddle her a lot but when she do something like ex: trying to flip her plate or touch other peoples food on their plate.. we let her know not to but we don’t hit her.. we treat her older because that will make her understand. Last night she started to cry because she was crawling and decided to touch cords on the wall. I said no and she cried and my family thought I was speaking to her roughly. NO! Shes been respecting me when I say no ever since she was 5mo. Yes she is little but teaching starts early. I don’t let people talk down on me by saying “she’s a baby she doesn’t know” SHE WONT KNOW UNTIL YOU TEACH HER AND SHE YOU TEACH HER LATER SHELL LEARN SLOWER.

doesn't make you an asshole at all!

I was raised with both. My dad was authoritarian and my mom was authoritative. People immediately assume that being authoritative means I'll beat my kid when I dont like something they do, which isn't the case. You can be stern and firm when needed and you can still remain kind and loving. It's a balance.

When you have your baby let me know how it goes.

There’s a way to discipline and respect without being authoritative. Simply because a parent chooses not to be an authoritarian, doesn’t mean their children are disrespectful and undisciplined.