There's the potential for parents to be too permissive and not set appropriate boundaries and expectations for behavior. Additional potential problems include indulging a child’s emotions and behavior without guiding and teaching," says Peters. Is there any research to support gentle parenting?

Research indicates that authoritative parenting leads to children with healthy self-esteem who can self-regulate their emotions. It also means they understand disciplinary methods as a way of support instead of as a punishment. Should you try gentle parenting? The goals of gentle parenting are to raise children who understand and can regulate their emotions, respect and have empathy for themselves and others, and have healthy and collaborative relationships," says Peters. Where did gentle parenting come from? Admittedly this book is more aspirational than most, but that’s kind of what’s so brilliant about it. Yes, it’s a gentle parenting book, but the author’s subtle humor helps you navigate the highs and lows of parenting with purpose in a way that just makes sense. In other words, this strategy works only if it is establishing healthy, predictable family rhythms that both you and your child feel comfortable with.

No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame by Janet Lansbury

Perhaps it happens at the beach, when you're screaming into the wind and sand for your child to stay close to you. They seem content to scurry away, pretending that they have never seen you before. You wonder how you can keep them safe when they aren't even listening to you. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ Adults who have empathy and care for other people are a gift to the whole world. Gentle parenting is a way you can start to instill those value in your children. It also fosters independence, self-confidence, and many other virtues. Be honest with yourself for a minute — are you a yeller? I know I've struggled with that. At my kids, at other cars on the highway, at Jeopardy contestants who should clearly know the answer given their occupation. I yell. It could even be a moment that happens in your therapist's office, when it dawns on you that you'll do anything to raise your children in a safer, calmer, happier home than the one you grew up in.

Gentle parenting is a form of positive parenting that emphasizes understanding a child’s behavior through empathy and respect, giving choices versus commands, and responding in a way that considers a child’s intellectual and developmental levels," explains Dan Peters, PhD, a psychologist and host of the Parent Footprint podcast. Research shows that many of the concepts surrounding gentle parenting methods prove it's a healthy and effective way to raise your children to become competent and confident adults. But the unfortunate reality is that this parenting method is foreign to many of us. Thankfully, books about gentle parenting are a great tool for teaching you how to parent in peace and create harmony in your household — and they're becoming more popular every year. Gentle parenting does have some potential pitfalls, especially if the strategy is not applied consistently. Gentle parenting also can't be used as an excuse for nonconfrontational parents to avoid setting any rules or boundaries with your child. The technique isn't to never discipline your child at all. The idea is to discipline them differently. If a kindergarten-aged child doesn't want to go to school and expresses their emotions with yelling and crying, the gentle parenting response would not be to dismiss their reaction. Instead, you would comment on your child's reaction and validate them. The goal would be to communicate understanding in an effort to help your child regulate their emotions, calm down, and get ready for school.What exactly is gentle parenting? It's a parenting style that emphasizes compassion over confrontation, setting clear boundaries for your children, and understanding their developmental needs. It's parenting without shaming or blaming. It's not perfect — nothing in parenting is perfect. And you won't get it right 100% of the time, so you need to give yourself grace for that. Parenting is hard. At some point, you're probably going to absolutely lose it in front of (or even directed at) your children. There's nothing that excites me more than evidence-based practice, and this book is full of it. Naumberg understands that at some point, it's going to hit the fan. She gives you concrete, honest advice for dealing with yourself while you deal with your kids. The way gentle parenting looks on a practical level will vary from family to family. But the central tenets of empathy, respect, understanding, and healthy boundaries should inform the way that all "gentle" parents make decisions. That all sounds wonderful, in theory. But does gentle parenting actually work? We asked a parenting expert for the pros and cons of this approach. What is gentle parenting? You've probably heard by now that Danish people are the happiest people on Earth. This starts in childhood. With this book, you'll learn how time together, calm discipline, and strict boundaries make for the happiest and most confident people in the world.

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. We are an achievement-obsessed culture. We expect so much from our children that we sometimes miss the point of childhood. This book takes that idea head-on and teaches parents about the power of play. If your toddler spills their milk, the gentle parenting response won't be to scold their carelessness or respond with words of frustration. Instead, your child could be required to help clean up their mess, with your assistance. That helps your child understand natural consequences, and also that they bear responsibility for their actions. The principles behind gentle parenting have a lot in common with what's known as "authoritative" and "positive" parenting, says Peters. "Positive communication, collaborative relationships, empathy, and respect result in adults who feel confident, communicate effectively, have emotional awareness, and have positive social skills and relationships," he says. Real-world examples of gentle parenting will look different at different phases of your child's development. Peters gives some examples:

Gentle parenting is a fairly new approach to parenting. It's also hard to objectively quantify how many people are doing it and how they are applying the philosophy. That means that there isn't a lot of clinical research diving into how gentle parenting affects children as they grow into adults.