What’s gentle parenting?
Gentle parenting, also known as positive parenting, is a philosophy and style of parenting that focuses on nurturing your child’s development through love and attention. This approach to raising kids doesn’t involve spanking or punishing your children, but rather teaching them how to control their behaviors in non-threatening ways. By using gentle parenting techniques you can help your children develop emotionally while also providing them with the tools necessary to deal with difficult situations later in life.
Gentle parenting versus permissive parenting
Gentle parenting is NOT permissive parenting. The two are often confused because they sound similar, but they have very different values and approaches to discipline.
Permissive parents believe that children need more freedom to express themselves and make their own choices. As a result, they give their kids lots of choices and few rules. This can mean letting kids stay up late or eat junk food when those things might be harmful for them in the long run. Permissive parents also tend to avoid confrontation with their child whenever possible – whether it’s telling them “no” or asking a question about how something happened when something happened that shouldn’t have happened (like breaking something).
Gentle parents believe that children need structure and boundaries so that they know what behavior is expected of them at all times (and so everyone else knows as well). Gentle parents use consequences like time-outs, loss of privileges, fines or other punishments when appropriate – but they will only do this if it’s necessary! Gentle parents recognize that all humans make mistakes sometimes; what matters most is how we react afterward!
Gentle parenting can help parents reframe their approach to discipline
Gentle parenting is a way of parenting that focuses on building a strong relationship with your child. Instead of focusing on the behavior, gentle parenting focuses on what’s going on for the child and works to understand why she may be acting out and then work together to find solutions.
Gentle parenting also helps you reframe your approach to discipline so that you’re more positive and less punitive. In many ways, gentle parenting asks parents to take more time with their children rather than rushing through their days trying to get everything done at once. It encourages parents to look for opportunities throughout the day where they can give attention and show love instead of just focusing solely on punishments after bad behavior has occurred.
Gentle parenting ideas for parents to practice
Gentle parenting means being firm, but not harsh. It’s about being respectful and kind. The goal of gentle parenting is not to be soft and cuddly all the time, but rather to develop a loving relationship with your children. You do this through acknowledging their feelings and needs, even when they’re challenging; responding with empathy and compassion rather than anger or frustration; giving them lots of opportunities for choice-making; setting clear limits that are enforced consistently; and allowing for mistakes and learning experiences (including failure).
There are several approaches that fall under the term ‘gentle parenting’ and they can be combined as well
Gentle parenting can be combined with other approaches and methods. For example, you can use gentle parenting while practicing attachment parenting, which is the style of parenting that focuses on physical contact and bonding with your baby. The Montessori method also includes some aspects of gentle parenting because it emphasizes play and exploration over direct instruction.
We hope that you have found this article helpful and informative. As always, we are here to help you in any way we can!