“Gentle Parenting Doesn’t Always Work”: SA Reacts to Dad Unable to Calm Baby Down in Grocery Store
- A father had his hands full after having to deal with a restless toddler throwing a tantrum in the grocery store
- The dad tried his best to calm his son down, but the young one was not having it as he continued kicking and screaming
- Social media users bashed a popular parenting style and claimed that it produced misbehaving children
- Briefly News chatted to a Clinical Psychologist about the nuances of Gentle Parenting
Mzansi bashed gentle parenting after a father had a hard time calming his restless toddler.
Source: TikTok
The young one threw a tantrum in a grocery store and would not stop kicking and screaming.
SA bashes gentle parenting after toddler throws tantrum
Gentle parenting is a form of parenting stuff that promotes validating and acknowledging a child’s feelings and talking things through rather than punishing them for not knowing better. Empathy, understanding, respect, and boundaries are key tenets of the parenting style.
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Mzansi was convinced that gentle parenting was a flawed style of raising children after witnessing a father sweat as he tried to calm his son down. The young lad kept kicking, screaming, and ignoring his dad’s efforts.
The father tried picking him up and swinging him back and forth, but he could not stop his restlessness. The footage went viral on TikTok, and the dad captioned it:
“When they said children are cute, they only told us one side of the story.”
Watch the video below:
Mzansi reacts to outcome of gentle parenting
A Clinical Psychologist, Vuyolwethu Tuluma, shared that Gentle parenting is based on empathy, respect, understanding, and setting consistent boundaries. Unlike traditional authoritarian styles, which prioritise obedience, gentle parenting emphasises guiding children through their emotions rather than punishing them for misbehaviour. Parents who follow this approach aim to be nurturing and patient, with the belief that understanding emotions and managing them will foster secure attachment and emotional intelligence in children:
“Gentle parenting, like all parenting styles, has its strengths and limitations. When practised with consistency, empathy, and clear boundaries, it tends to foster well-adjusted, emotionally aware children. However, without these components, there is a risk of children lacking structure, which can lead to misunderstandings of the approach as permissiveness.
“Whether or not gentle parenting produces “unruly” children is a nuanced issue. The effectiveness of this approach largely depends on balance. Children need both empathy and structure. Gentle parenting, when applied with consistent boundaries and clear expectations, generally doesn’t produce unruly children.
Instead, it often fosters children who feel secure and are capable of managing their emotions effectively. However, without firm boundaries, children might interpret gentle parenting as a lack of guidance, which can lead to behavioural challenges.”
Pros of Gentle Parenting
Improved Emotional Regulation:
Children learn to identify and manage their emotions rather than repress them - This helps in developing long-term self-regulation skills, which can reduce impulsive or “unruly” behavior.
Enhanced Parent-Child Bond:
Gentle parenting emphasises connection and communication, which can strengthen the parent-child relationship - A secure bond can lead to more cooperation
Social media users were convinced that children needed a better form of discipline than what gentle parenting offered:
@chloesmith1642 trolled:
“He is holding him like he is a dangerous animal.”
@user4028808804930 shared:
“Gentle parenting is for gentle kids.”
@user1449602326950 commented:
“In my day, this would warrant a trip to the bathroom to solve the problem.”
@ursulafelicity wrote:
“My son once did this and lay down on the floor. I just kept on going. Guess who started to follow quietly?”
@Chel sea highlighted:
“The gentle parenting effect.”
@Teri Fields expressed:
“Happy to be childless.”
@Lady_P highlighted:
“Gentle parenting kids that are not gentle children.”
@Tshepo shared:
“Gentle parenting doesn’t always work, hey.”
SA wowed by toddler breaking into fridge
Briefly News also reported that a toddler wowed the internet when he sneaked into the fridge, broke eggs and ate them raw without a care in the world. His mom, Thandi, caught him red-handed, enjoying his beloved treat while maintaining the sneaky atmosphere, hiding behind the refrigerator door.
Netizens were amazed by the boy’s choice of food as a packet of biscuits was staring at him in the face.
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Source: Briefly News
