What is Gentle Parenting & How to Incorporate in Your Parenting Style

What is Gentle Parenting?

Gentle parenting is an empathetic and understanding way of parenting that focuses on positive reinforcement. Parents implement gentle handling methods, are not punitive, and concentrate on securing a vibrant parent-child communication grounded in trust and respect. This method of upbringing elevates the morals of the child who is assertive, self-regulated, and mentally sound.

Present day parenting involves asking multiple questions among new-age parents. They spend a lot of time online gathering information about different styles of parenting and their effect on the child in the early developmental stages of their lives. 

In this era of excessive information, which can often be conflicting and overwhelming, parents have to choose a parenting style that works best for their children while being compassionate and understanding. 

Here are three ways gentle parenting can be incorporated into your parenting style provided by Meghna Yadav, Child Psychologist and Head of Training, KLAY Centres for Child Development and Care:

1. Separate action from the person

Focusing on the action rather than the person helps the child understand how to respond better in a situation and to a person. For instance, if a child is throwing a tantrum and making a fuss by screaming, the parent should shift attention from the child to the action. 

In this case, it is screaming. Instead of telling the child, “You should not scream,” saying, “Screaming will not help here. Let us discuss this more,” is a much better approach to defusing the situation. 

2. Modelling plays a key role in understanding emotions

Parents that express their emotions well and regulate them wisely become great models to help the child understand how to handle their own emotions. Simple day-to-day scenarios can teach children this. 

For example, a parent can say, “Oh, I was feeling stressed as I was late for my meeting today due to heavy traffic on the road. However, I did self-talk and that helped me not panic while I was late.”  

3. Work collaboratively

Parents often adopt an instructive mode of teaching children certain behaviours, or even while conducting simple tasks like tying laces. However, rather than ordering or instructing them, working together and helping them understand goes a long way. This gives children the freedom to create their own paths. 

Children learn, for example, by watching their parents in the early years of life. Making them feel loved for who they are makes them stronger and more resilient to the world around them. It also proves beneficial for parents to be more kind and compassionate towards themselves. 

This article was originally published in India Today