It seems like every other day a new parenting book is released. How do you know which one to trust? Gentle parenting teaches parents how to clearly and calmly communicate with their children. They should set firm boundaries, but not without helping a child understand why the boundaries exist. The parents are also there to use age-appropriate strategies for discipline. Gentle discipline has the potential to create confident, independent, happy children. It also emphasizes boundaries that help your child feel secure. Instead of punishing your child for doing something wrong, gentle parenting encourages children to develop self-confidence, independence, and intelligence. What you should know I can't imagine not telling my children how special they are, commending them on how well they've done and verbally recognising and cheering their achievements, however big or small. The book explains the basic development of the brain, which can help parents understand their children better and respond to difficult situations more effectively. Understanding the basic processes of the brain will also help parents create a solid foundation for their child's mental, emotional, and social development.

I consider Teresa a friend and that comes through in this episode of the Sage Family Podcast with her. At the start of the book, Fields offers hope for the parent who isn’t perfect by breaking down the lie that great parents are always loving, kind, and patient. She then invites us all to stop wallowing in shame and let past mistakes fuel us to change. Gentle parents preserve the connection and relationship with their children above all else. They also revere their children as precious humans that want to do good when given the chance. Of course, gentle moms and dads also understand that kids, like all human beings, make mistakes. They do not, however, use these mistakes as opportunities to label children as “ naughty,” “mean,” or “bad.” Instead of labeling their kids, they emphasize behaviors. If a child is breaking a house rule, for instance, the gentle parent might comment “I don’t think your siblings like it when you leave your toys out for them to trip over.” By focusing on the behavior and not the child, self-esteem is preserved. In other words, this strategy works only if it is establishing healthy, predictable family rhythms that both you and your child feel comfortable with.While it's difficult to know what's best for your child, economic reasoning can provide a useful framework. Raising Good Humans Gentle parenting is supposed to be a strategy that you can use throughout your time as a parent. Starting when your children are young is the easiest way to set boundaries and establish the expectation of natural consequences. Similarly, Pressman advises parents to find voices that connect with their values and that provide information that can help ease the worries of parenting. A good parenting book is a perfect mix of your values as a parent and the issues you’re currently facing with your children. What Are The Four Types Of Parenting Styles? I love this book not only because I enjoy geeking out to the science, but because the authors do a great job explaining why kids have meltdowns and misbehave. And guess what? For example, when a toddler pitches a fit, he or she is sent directly to time out. These methods are intended to make things easy on parents while kids do the heavy lifting.

Really, wow. Because that sounds damaging. I'm no expert but growing up without any praise is harsh. But at least your kid learns how to feel praise from the inside, independent of his parents telling him how awesome he is. While many gentle parenting books present the child as a solitary individual, this book offers suggestions for how to help them learn how to live in the world without constant disruption. For example, it is important to remember that children are human beings and may feel anger and aggression. Therefore, it is important to remember that it is never too late to start a gentle parenting practice. yes - parenting is as tough as it is rewarding, and to all of us who wake up to do it another day , and generation after generation we must pursue better ways to raise well children into adulthood - so there is space for gentle parenting to be a contribution to our figuring it out, but it’s def not the optimal choice of all available - we need to take what it provides and keep looking til we find what is ~~~~~Best Parenting Books Overall: The Whole-Brain Child; Your One-Year-Old; Good Inside; The Explosive Child Gentle parenting makes space for parents to honor their own feelings and needs alongside their child’s. Kids raised by gentle parents develop healthy, strong relationships with their moms and dads. These are bonds we don’t see with other parenting approaches such as tiger parenting or even purely authoritarian parenting. The children who share our lives give us the opportunity to transform ourselves so that they can transform the world.”