The Benefits and Limits of Gentle Parenting

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 11 January 2024

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“Gentle parenting” is generally described as parenting your child without shame, blame or punishment. It has gained traction in recent years, driven in large part by social media. Fans of the approach say it’s all about treating kids with empathy and respect, a stark contrast to the power dynamics of prior generations. But what happens when those well-meaning techniques — modeled so simply in Instagram reels — don’t work with your family? New research is suggesting that gentle parenting may not be so gentle on parents, leading to overwhelm and burnout. We’ll talk with experts about the benefits and limits of gentle parenting. Guests: Mercedes Samudio, licensed clinician and author, "Shame-Proof Parenting: Find Your Unique Parenting Voice, Feel Empowered, and Raise Whole, Healthy Children" Dan Peters, psychologist, parenting expert and host of the podcast “Parent Footprint with Dr. Dan"; author, "Make Your Worrier a Warrior"; co-author, "Bright, Complex Kids" Annie Pezalla, assistant professor, Developmental Psychology and Family Studies, Macalester College. Her recent article in the Conversation is "Gentle parenting can be really hard on parents, new research suggests." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:52.3	From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Mina Kim.
0:55.4	Coming up on forum, the parenting approach known as gentle parenting took off during the pandemic, with kids at home more and parents realizing
1:00.2	they needed help. All over TikTok and Instagram now, videos and slide cards offer advice
1:05.9	and gentle parenting influencers draw millions of followers, sharing their tips and tricks for attending to and respecting a child's emotional needs.
1:14.6	But as studies of the practice begin to get off the ground, researchers are finding parents reporting exhaustion,
1:20.6	overwhelm, and confusion. Have you tried gentle parenting or seen others try it? What have you noticed or wondered about it?
1:28.6	Tell us after this news.
1:34.8	Welcome to Forum. I'm Mina Kim.
1:37.6	Gentle parenting has been described as parenting a child without shame, blame, or punishment,
1:42.9	and it's gained more traction in recent years.
	...

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