Nic Bescoby, a mother of three, eschewed conventional parenting in favor of “soft parenting,” as she put it on the program.
She sees it as a method of parenting built on respect for one another. Within limits, she gives the kids free reign to do whatever they want.
She lets her kids choose when to eat, when to eat, and what to study each day, as Nic Bescoby explained on the program. Rather to attending a traditional school, they are homeschooled. As Bescoby clarified:
“We realized that the kids share our appreciation for freedom. They are happier the more power we give them over their life.”
She says that being a gentle parent is much more work than being a standard disciplinarian parent when others criticize her of being a lazy parent. A gentle parent must take a step back, regulate her own emotions, and come up with a completely other strategy to address the child’s conduct rather than simply getting angry and disciplining the child.
When challenged about setting limits, one of the hosts of Good Morning Britain, Kate Garraway, stated that this method of parenting sounded to her like a “recipe for catastrophe.” Bescoby answered:
“It’s not about granting you access to whatever you desire. It is letting people reach the decision on their own rather than engaging in a will-versus-will conflict with them.”
In conventional parenting, parents use praise and reprimands to control their kids’ conduct. Parents who practice gentle parenting avoid using rewards or consequences. Instead than giving the kids orders and regulations, they provide them alternatives.
By transforming chores into games that kids can choose to play or not, they strive to teach youngsters to behave well. They listen to their kids instead than trying to discipline them when they act up. They mention how the child’s actions made the parents feel rather than expressing their unhappiness with it.
Watch the video for more details:
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