While I do not wish to intentionally write the post with the intention of it being perceived as controversial, parenting, as a general topic, is often met with controversy, let alone the idea of how to properly go about disciplining your child or children. I do not have children of my own, but I do have parents who raised me; therefore, I think I can offer my own opinions on the topic and my thoughts on gentle parenting.
My parents are Baby Boomers, and I would argue that the discipline methods of Boomer parents vary dramatically from how parents discipline their children nowadays. Gentle parenting has been adopted by many young parents, and I’m not here to judge you on your preferred methods. I am here, however, to assert that I do not think gentle parenting is effective because of what I have seen and experienced personally with children who have been raised ‘gently.’
Children who are brought up ‘gently’ tend to be absolute little shits. They are aware of the fact that poor behaviour will be met by their parents with a calm and not terribly effective approach, so they don’t care much about how their actions affect others. They’re disrespectful, behave poorly and selfishly, and also do not comprehend the concept of accountability. I’ve witnessed it first-hand with tutoring young children, and I truly do not know what these kids will do once they’re adults and discover that the world doesn’t coddle and soothe them at every inconvenience.
Do you have to beat the ever-loving shit out of your kids to ensure they’re raised correctly? Absolutely not. But I believe that there should be clearly established authority between children and their parents, and, speaking from experience, physical discipline interventions here and there are often what is required to force children to understand that their parents are to be respected, as well as others.
Photo by Juliane Liebermann on Unsplash
