If you have been following me on my journey, you might know that I am a big believer in Gentle Parenting. (Read about how I became a gentle parent here.)
Rather than choosing a specific parenting style, we adapted a very instinctual and natural way of raising our daughter. To give a few examples, Amelie has been breastfed since birth, we babywear and we co-sleep in one bed. Instead of trying to get her on a schedule, we let her lead the way and adjusted our routines accordingly. We have always been responding to her cries swiftly and with empathy.
We didn't plan on doing these things. It's simply what worked for us. Well, besides breastfeeding, since that is something I have been really excited about since my pregnancy and the only things that did NOT come easily! (Read more about it here.)
Although, we were comfortable with this approach within the circle of close friends and family, I couldn't help but feeling pressured and judged by Mainstream Parenting: "You have to put your baby on a schedule. She needs to learn how to sleep in her own bed. She needs to learn how to soothe herself. You haven't started solids yet? You are going to spoil her. " All well-meant comments, but for a new mom who feels differently about these things, it can be overwhelming and frustrating.
I wasn't always this confident about how I am raising my daughter. In silent moments, I felt insecure and I doubted my choices. But I kept on doing what felt right to me. I trusted my instincts.
When I first read about Gentle Parenting and Attachment Parenting, I was surprised how similar these parenting styles were to ours. For the first time, I felt understood and reassured. It was a great feeling! Doing more and more research about it, it all made total sense to me.
So what is Gentle Parenting all about?
Gentle parenting is based on empathy and understanding your child's emotions. It is based on listening and responding to your child's needs. Rather than ruling over your child, you guide and lead by example. It is about helping your child through difficult situations, rather then punishing their reaction to it. It is about offering choices, instead of deciding for your child. Gentle parenting is about validating and respecting that your child is it's own little person.
Gentle Parenting often goes hand in hand with Attachment Parenting. The difference is, that Attachment Parenting follows specific guidelines, whereas Gentle Parenting is based on the above mentioned foundations.
I found this image online, which gives a pretty good overview over some of the differences of Mainstream Parenting vs. Gentle Parenting:
Rather than choosing a specific parenting style, we adapted a very instinctual and natural way of raising our daughter. To give a few examples, Amelie has been breastfed since birth, we babywear and we co-sleep in one bed. Instead of trying to get her on a schedule, we let her lead the way and adjusted our routines accordingly. We have always been responding to her cries swiftly and with empathy.
We didn't plan on doing these things. It's simply what worked for us. Well, besides breastfeeding, since that is something I have been really excited about since my pregnancy and the only things that did NOT come easily! (Read more about it here.)
Although, we were comfortable with this approach within the circle of close friends and family, I couldn't help but feeling pressured and judged by Mainstream Parenting: "You have to put your baby on a schedule. She needs to learn how to sleep in her own bed. She needs to learn how to soothe herself. You haven't started solids yet? You are going to spoil her. " All well-meant comments, but for a new mom who feels differently about these things, it can be overwhelming and frustrating.
I wasn't always this confident about how I am raising my daughter. In silent moments, I felt insecure and I doubted my choices. But I kept on doing what felt right to me. I trusted my instincts.
When I first read about Gentle Parenting and Attachment Parenting, I was surprised how similar these parenting styles were to ours. For the first time, I felt understood and reassured. It was a great feeling! Doing more and more research about it, it all made total sense to me.
So what is Gentle Parenting all about?
Gentle parenting is based on empathy and understanding your child's emotions. It is based on listening and responding to your child's needs. Rather than ruling over your child, you guide and lead by example. It is about helping your child through difficult situations, rather then punishing their reaction to it. It is about offering choices, instead of deciding for your child. Gentle parenting is about validating and respecting that your child is it's own little person.
Gentle Parenting often goes hand in hand with Attachment Parenting. The difference is, that Attachment Parenting follows specific guidelines, whereas Gentle Parenting is based on the above mentioned foundations.
I found this image online, which gives a pretty good overview over some of the differences of Mainstream Parenting vs. Gentle Parenting:
I have become an advocate for gentle parenting not only because it works for us, but because I want to validate other parent's feelings, who might feel alone with their choices. Parents, who might feel misunderstood and pressured, just like I did.
Parenting is a journey, it's like running a marathon without having trained for it. We need all the support we can get on our way. We might take some detours, we might might have to stop and pause to reconsider our route at times. That is OK. As long, as we enjoy the ride...
*(I don't know who created the image, I would've loved to give credits because I think it gives a really nice overview.) - Thanks to Twitter I now know who created this well-made and informative image: Big thanks to Sarah Ockwell-Smith and Gentle Parenting.
Parenting is a journey, it's like running a marathon without having trained for it. We need all the support we can get on our way. We might take some detours, we might might have to stop and pause to reconsider our route at times. That is OK. As long, as we enjoy the ride...
*(I don't know who created the image, I would've loved to give credits because I think it gives a really nice overview.) - Thanks to Twitter I now know who created this well-made and informative image: Big thanks to Sarah Ockwell-Smith and Gentle Parenting.