Jessica Page: Which of the four types of parenting are you?

The man in charge of WA’s thinning blue line recently had to walk the tightrope of parental discipline.

Col Blanch declared his son’s conviction for reckless driving fell short of his standards as Police Commissioner but professed he would love and support him no matter what.

As a father does.

It’s something I struggle with.

The balancing act between setting boundaries then realising you’ve gone too far and have to follow through with what was an empty threat.

A friend had to throw out her daughter’s Easter eggs.

I had to cancel my threat to can a birthday party.

The moment I said it I knew I’d gone too far, but after the tears eventually subsided my daughter did promise to never again scribble on her brand new — and rather expensive — bedhead.

One study by New York’s Lincoln Medical Centre and Touro University in Nevada identifies four distinct parenting styles: authoritarian (aka ‘tiger mum’), authoritative (but offering support not punishment), permissive (BFFs) and uninvolved (free range).

The study declared “authoritative parenting” leads to the healthiest outcomes, with children learning to be confident, responsible and to self-regulate.

But in truth I think each style has pros and cons.

There might be a time and place to attempt every one, but it’s hard to pick those moments and hold my temper in check when I walk into the kitchen to find a child covered head to toe in peanut butter.

She’s suddenly worked out she can reach the top shelf of the pantry, with the help of a chair.

Next time I’ll try to take a breath and channel Col before yelling until I’m blue in the face.

“I’ll support my son,” he said. “Regardless of what he does in life and I hope he learns from this … I love my son and I’ll look after him.”

For better or worse.

Wash the peanut butter out of that hair, rinse and repeat. Eventually the lesson will surely sink in.

Side note: Last week the State Government finally committed $39 million towards hiring the extra staff needed to rein in wait lists for paediatricians, speech and occupational therapists.

That was one of four priorities on my New Year wish list for WA’s new Premier, published in the last week of 2023: housing, health, food and safety.

One down, three to go.

Perth’s rental vacancy has since tightened even further, with 57 children counted among the now 1355 people who are homeless.

That needs to be the clear priority when Roger Cook and Rita Saffioti hand down their first State Budget in three weeks.