What is “Type C” Parenting?
If you think about it, you might realize you fall into one of two categories as a parent: The Type A mom or the Type B mom. Until now, that is, when there’s finally an (official?) middle ground for those in-betweeners.
Can’t quite relate to the super scheduled Type A mom or to the overly spontaneous Type B? Congrats—Type C parents might just be your people!
“Type C mom” is a term coined by Ashleigh Surratt, a social media creator whose videos about life as a Type C mom have others in the same boat saying, “OMG, same.”
It means vacuuming your carpet without putting your kids’ toys away first, or preparing Pinterest-worthy pancakes for breakfast when the dishes and mess from dinner the night before are still on full display. It means organizing your snack pantry into those cute little plastic containers, but letting your kid eat leftover crackers they found on the floor under the baby’s highchair. It means packing leftovers neatly into Tupperware, but forgetting it’s in the back of the fridge for at least a week.
Perhaps Ashleigh can explain this dichotomy best. “Although Google has various opinions on what being type C actually means, to me it’s a joke about being really type A about somethings and type B about others,” Ashleigh notes in this video. “It’s planners & piles of laundry. It’s color coding and cluttered counters. It’s me! And I’ve learned it’s you too.”
She’s not wrong about that Google part. While Ashleigh is perhaps the internet’s unofficial OG of the Type C mom persona, Type C is an actual personality type, according to the Myers-Briggs Type indicator. Some of these people’s most common traits are that they’re conscientious, they like control, and they’re cooperative (and all three words start with C! Hmmm).
According to Parents.com, some moms and dads who may be adopting this parenting style are the ones who keep to a schedule and value structure for their children, but are okay when things go off script. This may also be an attractive style in particular for busy working moms, single parents, moms who are healing from their perfectionist tendencies, and/or those who have neurodivergent kids. Or anyone, really!
Overall, experts say Type C parents strike a healthy balance between being regimented yet flexible, authoritative yet compassionate. This attitude creates a safe and comfortable home environment overall and teaches kids resilience.
As for me? I’m definitely mostly in the Type A camp as a parent (a life-long anxiety disorder will do that to a person), but I definitely have some Type C tendencies. I hate clutter but have toys all over my family room. I thrive on a schedule, but am fine for my kids to skip their bath once in a while if it means doing a fun activity that keeps us out later than usual (wait, is this gross?).
Of course, as with anything, you might not tick off all the boxes in any one ‘category.’ But honestly, putting ourselves into these boxes as parents is stressful and can be isolating anyway. Own your Type A/B/C-ness, and your kids will love you for it (whether they say so or not).
What are your Type C tendencies as a parent?
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