17/01/2023
Something I feel so strongly about - the whole thread. So thank you for making this one! There is a time and place for humour, these times are definitely not it.
If we want our children to grow up grounded, confident and resilient we need to be able to recognise times of vulnerability in our childrens lives, which is no easy feat. It does start with us, unfortunately.
Firstly, we must be able to recognise what we as children were denied, as this creates a barrier towards our ability to fully supporting them and their needs. If you were not given the tools and strategies to cope in difficult times it’s much easier to be triggered by your child’s behaviour and continue that cycle. Than to be aware and actively create change; I refuse to continue the cycle.
It is easy to say this is ‘too much’ or that this ‘new style’ of parenting is creating children who are mentally ‘weak’, when in reality responsive/gentle parenting is hard, draining almost and a mental load in and of itself. Responding to your child’s needs is never wrong; validating their feelings is never not okay. You are not ‘babying’ them. There are a lot of toxic traits in relation to children we do need to unlearn, and that is okay. It just takes work, compassion, time, understanding and a lot of apologising without laying blame
