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A lot of people hear “gentle parent” and think doormat. But when we remember that our kids really are just kids, and get curious about the developmental reasons they’re working our last nerve, parenting them peacefully becomes a lot more possible.
Ever find yourself saying the same thing over and over to your kids? The answer isn’t to yell louder, as tempting as that can be. It might be more effective to consider the true capabilities of our kids at the stages they are at, and look at whether it might be our expectations that need a slight adjustment. Once you’ve done that? You’re a “gentle parent.”
Sarah Ockwell-Smith, parenting expert and author of The Gentle Parenting Book, sums up gentle parenting in three words: empathy, understanding, and respect. But gentle parenting isn’t pushover parenting. Discipline is still possible– it’s just focused on lessons to be learned more than on punishments. It’s about shutting off our autopilot as parents and beginning a practice of remembering that a child is a child.
In this episode we discuss
Here are links to some writing on the topic that we discuss in this episode:
Sarah Ockwell-Smith: Five Steps To Effective Discipline
Renee Plant for Very Well Family: What Is Gentle Parenting?
Natalia Oliver for Guidepost Montessori: A Beginner’s Guide To Gentle Parenting
Vicky McKeever for CNBC: This ‘gentle parenting’ guru gives her tips for raising confident kids
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