Reasons Why Gentle Parenting is The Best Parenting Style

Every parent reading out wants to raise a happy, confident, and independent child. But, the question is, how do we do that? Parenting is challenging especially when the child stops responding in a disciplined manner.

Understanding your parenting style can really help you in making conscious decisions. Sometimes, we as a parent repeat the same mistakes (related to parenting styles) and expect our children to not do so! Generally, we try to imitate our childhood experiences.

We need to understand that the emotional needs of every child are different and revolving around the same old-school parenting style is not going to help in this modern world.

There is a parenting style called “Gentle Parenting” which can help you raise a confident, happy, and independent child.

In this blog, we will be discussing what gentle parenting is and how effective it is.

Understanding Gentle Parenting

Gentle parenting is a type of parenting style which is evidence-based. Gentle parenting revolves around adapting qualities that you want to incorporate in your children with a hint of being compassionate along with building consistent healthy boundaries.

Gentle parenting is a different and unique parenting style because it encourages discipline in a more age-appropriate manner. Gentle parenting helps in raising a confident and happy child.

This parenting style helps children in learning valuable life lessons instead of being punished or rewarded. Additionally, gentle parenting also helps build a strong relationship between parents and children.

The best part about practicing gentle parenting is that it allows children to learn about their feelings and emotions and let them accept their feelings and emotions as a whole. There is no guided set of rules but gentle parenting is highly based on creating a healthy lifestyle so that children can also reflect on the same.

Four Main Elements of Gentle Parenting

Gentle parenting is based on four main elements which are empathy, respect, understanding, and boundaries.

These four elements were composed of the idea that children try to imitate whatever their parents do. Therefore, showing and teaching them empathy, respect, boundaries, and understanding could be a great idea to raise a happy, confident, resilient, and compassionate child.

Let’s discuss the four elements of gentle parenting:

1. Respect

Respect comes mutually when the parent and child understand each other’s feelings. When we uplift our children through difficult times, they eventually grow respect toward us.

The other best way to build respect is to listen to your child whenever they try to be honest and open with you. Don’t react; just keep on asking questions so that they can learn you’re always standing in their support.

2. Empathy

Implementing and teaching empathy is the most vital aspect of gentle parenting. It is because sometimes we knowingly or unknowingly minimize, ignore, or dismiss the feelings of our children.

As a result, this makes the child feel that they do not matter and that whatever happens the parents will never listen to them. Therefore, being empathetic, growing empathy and teaching empathy are very important aspects of raising a resilient child.

3. Understanding

The third important aspect of gentle parenting is understanding. When we begin to understand our children from the inside, it helps relieve a lot of resentment, confusion, and stress between you two. Additionally, it also makes your child believe that they are understood, heard, and respected for having such emotions or feelings.

4. Boundaries

The final aspect of gentle parenting is setting boundaries. Setting boundaries does not mean implementing permissive parenting or uninvolved parenting.

It’s all about setting boundaries based on fostering a stable, healthy, positive, and loving environment for the children. Boundary setting in gentle parenting also revolves around positive behaviour, expectation, and communication pattern.

Benefits of Gentle Parenting

There are a lot of benefits related to gentle parenting apart from raising a happy and confident child such as:

• Helps in establishing boundaries and guidelines
• Improves the cognitive state of children
• Helps to take age-appropriate actions and decisions
• Helps foster positive traits
• Reduces the risk of stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues
• Promotes regulated responses socially
• Helps model flexibility and tolerance
• Promotes positive growth and development

Pros and Cons of Gentle Parenting

Pros of Gentle Parenting

Gentle parenting is a newly formed approach therefore, finding the research and evidence related to it was a bit difficult. I found one research that stated that gentle parenting promotes positive parenting which leads children to be more happy, resilient, and independent.

When parents interact with their children in a more gentle and positive way, it helps in forming a strong and long-term relationship.

Additionally, it also helps in forming better relationships in the future. According to a study, when we teach imitation to our babies, it helps in forming respect, understanding, and empathy by laying a strong foundation of positive social abilities.

Cons of Gentle Parenting

The biggest disadvantage of gentle parenting is that it involves self-discipline from both parents. Parents need to be proactive regardless of being reactive.

Additionally, they need to make positive and mindful decisions based on respect, understanding, communication, and empathy. To be honest, it takes a lot to be all of this 24*7 especially when you’re raising a toddler.

With the help of consistency, gentle parenting can prove to be effective. But with wrong choices, you might have to deal with consequences.

How to Incorporate Gentle Parenting

Below mentioned tips and ways that can help you incorporate gentle parenting:

1. Implement kindness

Using kindness and respect is one of the best ways to teach compassion and learn about their emotions. By modelling or imitating self-help practices, you can teach your children how they can treat themselves during tough or challenging times.

2. Make them learn the right and positive actions

The most important imperative of gentle parenting is to not punish or reward them whenever they do something bad or good instead making them learn valuable life lessons. Whenever they do something bad, don’t comment; just try to make them understand what they are doing wrong. Make sure you’re not triggering the shame or guilt; just make them practice the right and positive things.

3. Work together

Swapping commands while working together is one of the most effective ways to incorporate gentle parenting. It will encourage your child to collaborate with you. Additionally, it will also increase the resiliency of your child.

Author Views on Gentle Parenting

I am a mother of an infant and sometimes I lose my patience too since I am working from home. But I try to stay calm and consistent with her so that she can develop roots of understanding, respect, and empathy towards me.

The extra effort that I put into my parenting style is about honing a new set of skills so that my child can mirror up respectfully. Elements of gentle parenting work effectively for me as it helps my child to be happier and more independent.

And, in return, we make a happy family with gentle parenting!

I hope this blog helps you with understanding gentle parenting. Comment down and share your views on implementing gentle parenting. For more such content, connect with us on all social media platforms.

Thanks for reading!