How Can No Structure or Rules Affect Young Children?

Lack of Limits

• When parents raise little ones without clear rules and guidelines, children often misunderstand how limits and boundaries work, according to an article on the University of Minnesota Extension website. Not having solid experience with existing rules and defined structure, a child might not be able to control his actions and might act inappropriately in various settings.

Respect for Others

• Children raised with a permissive parenting style -- without expectations and rules -- often demonstrate a significant disrespect for other people, according to the University of Minnesota Extension article. Children have trouble understanding that other people have rights, too. Instead, they'll often demonstrate a self-centeredness that focuses only on their own wants and needs, advises Laura Markham, a clinical psychologist and author in New York. Children then might have trouble developing empathy for others or be able to share or extend kindness. Children who are raised without structure or rules also might have trouble tolerating disappointment and sadness, expecting parents to fix circumstances to restore their happiness, Markham says.

Insecurity

• Parents who do not structure a child̵7;s environment risk the security of the child, warns clinical counselor Kathy Eugster, a registered clinical counselor in Vancouver, British Columbia. The risk includes both physical and emotional security and safety. Children need the security of predictable routines and daily schedules because it helps them learn about the world around them. When a child knows what̵7;s coming next in the day, it frees him to learn and explore with confidence. A lack of boundaries can also threaten a child̵7;s physical safety because the child might not learn important rules that will keep him safe from harm.

Common Child Behaviors

• A child̵7;s behavior is often a strong clue about the presence of lack of structure and rules in the home. Children with permissive parents usually lack self-control and they also display aggression at home, according to the North Carolina Cooperative Extension article. Children also lack maturity and they show irresponsible behavior in this environment. It̵7;s even possible that a child with little structure at home won't work to achieve his potential at school and the child could exhibit low self-esteem. Left unresolved throughout childhood, a child lacking structure in the home environment often engages in risk-taking behavior during adolescence in an attempt to attract attention.