Captures gentle parenting perfectly. I take the useful no-duh bits and leave the crazy. Recently felt the cringe on a Dr. Becky workshop when she took a moment of silence to apologize to the adult women on the call for being told “don’t be so dramatic” when they were younger. Jessica Winter nails it in this piece https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-harsh-realm-of-gentle-parenting: “If members of Gen X can blame their high rates of depression and anxiety on latchkey parenting, and if millennials can blame their high rates of depression and anxiety on helicopter parenting, then perhaps a new generation can anticipate blaming their high rates of depression and anxiety on the overvalidation and undercorrection native to gentle parenting.”
Great first post! I’m sure other parents can relate. Your posts about parenting have made me reflect a lot on how I was raised and the positives and negatives I feel influenced me. Can’t wait to read more posts from you!
Working with kids, I’ve noticed more and more behavior problems among the gently parented crowd. You can no longer get children to clean up or come to circle by saying a chant or playing a song. You have to convince each individual child of how doing what you’ve asked will personally benefit them, plus offer them a mutually acceptable second option. Time outs weren’t stellar either… but swinging too far in the other direction is never a great idea!
As a former Middle School teacher this is so real. Just abundantly clear that school is the first time that they've been asked to do something because it will benefit the group. It is actually impossible to manage a large group of children like this while maintaining endless emotional forbearance, which is what Gentle parenting also demands.
I loved this post!! I have some online acquaintances who have tried to argue that gentle parenting is a social justice issue -- as in, you're not allowed to care about police brutality, etc unless you practice gentle parenting. Their examples included "never force a child to do something they don't want to do." I just... lol. For the record, these people definitely fall into the category of childless twenty-somethings whose entire parenting philosophy is informed by the bitterness they harbor towards their own parents.
Have had a lot of thoughts about this lately! It seems like there are some aspects of the concept that are outright unhelpful, but approaching things from a standpoint of compassion and empathy while holding firm boundaries in your own way seems to be a path that can be helpful for a lot of people.
Captures gentle parenting perfectly. I take the useful no-duh bits and leave the crazy. Recently felt the cringe on a Dr. Becky workshop when she took a moment of silence to apologize to the adult women on the call for being told “don’t be so dramatic” when they were younger. Jessica Winter nails it in this piece https://www.newyorker.com/books/under-review/the-harsh-realm-of-gentle-parenting: “If members of Gen X can blame their high rates of depression and anxiety on latchkey parenting, and if millennials can blame their high rates of depression and anxiety on helicopter parenting, then perhaps a new generation can anticipate blaming their high rates of depression and anxiety on the overvalidation and undercorrection native to gentle parenting.”
Finally, a take on gentle parenting that isn't fucking crazy! (Mom of a 3yo here.)
Great first post! I’m sure other parents can relate. Your posts about parenting have made me reflect a lot on how I was raised and the positives and negatives I feel influenced me. Can’t wait to read more posts from you!
Working with kids, I’ve noticed more and more behavior problems among the gently parented crowd. You can no longer get children to clean up or come to circle by saying a chant or playing a song. You have to convince each individual child of how doing what you’ve asked will personally benefit them, plus offer them a mutually acceptable second option. Time outs weren’t stellar either… but swinging too far in the other direction is never a great idea!
As a former Middle School teacher this is so real. Just abundantly clear that school is the first time that they've been asked to do something because it will benefit the group. It is actually impossible to manage a large group of children like this while maintaining endless emotional forbearance, which is what Gentle parenting also demands.
I loved this post!! I have some online acquaintances who have tried to argue that gentle parenting is a social justice issue -- as in, you're not allowed to care about police brutality, etc unless you practice gentle parenting. Their examples included "never force a child to do something they don't want to do." I just... lol. For the record, these people definitely fall into the category of childless twenty-somethings whose entire parenting philosophy is informed by the bitterness they harbor towards their own parents.
Have had a lot of thoughts about this lately! It seems like there are some aspects of the concept that are outright unhelpful, but approaching things from a standpoint of compassion and empathy while holding firm boundaries in your own way seems to be a path that can be helpful for a lot of people.