BONUS: A Response to Gentle Parenting
"What do I think about Gentle Parenting?
As soon as I started announcing the launch of the podcast to friends and family, I've gotten a lot of questions about ‘gentle parenting’ and how we'll handle the topic since it will most likely come up in the process.
And tell them the same thing I'll always tell someone who asks my opinion about how someone else parents their kids -
"If it works for them, it's really none of my business."
And that's true.
I have no idea what they deal with on a daily basis, none of us do, and I am in no position to give advice.
I mean, I feel like having a roadmap or some of philosophy to guide why and how you make decisions is incredibly helpful when you've been put in charge shaping a young mind but it's equally important to be prepared to pivot, evolve, and admit when something just isn't working.
Not to say you have to throw the baby out with the bath water, either.
I’m pretty sure it’s ok to just adapt what works for you and try something else at any time.
If you're anything like me, you can add up your failures much faster and easier than you count your successes.
It’s safe to say that regardless of your individual style, we’ve all tried a ton of different approaches, some with a much higher return on your investment than others.
Instead of trying to convince each other, let's have a conversation about what's worked for us, what has absolutely NOT worked for us and agree that we'll all consider each other's opinions, share appreciation for the new ideas, then happily do whatever works best for us and our unique family unit.
The world is changing faster than the time it takes to read a single parenting book - let alone all of them.
We’re gonna have to collaborate if we want keep up with the pace of the world around us.
That means pooling resources, listening to ideas we don't agree with, and considering perspectives that ultimately get cast aside or weeded out in order to figure out what is best suited for us.
Because no matter what you learn, or who you learn it from, you're the only one whose intuition guides your family's operating system.
It really does feel like its time to acknowledge that parenting has NEVER been one-size-fits-all and that we deserve the grace to judge for ourselves.
Let’s start the conversation by leaving a comment with what’s been working for you lately and see if maybe someone else can adapt it for their family situation.
If you don't feel like sharing right now or you’re just looking around, feel free to send some appreciation to someone who shared an idea.
Sometimes just the effort to share your story can take a lot of courage and I think that deserves a heart or two… don't you?
That's just my three cents."
- Finn's Mom
Co-Host, My Mom Knows Everything... Supposedly!
