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My Biggest Misconception About Gentle Parenting
Which helped me understand why I need to reparent myself
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on what it means to practice Gentle Parenting. It started when I interviewed Sofie Hon on how she managed to maintain a no-punishment culture for her two daughters for the past 15 years. Sofie always looks so calm and joyful, so I thought her daughters must be calm and joyful all the time! My fantasy bubble burst when she shared how her daughters would throw such huge tantrums, and they have their fair share of sibling rivalry as well. Sofie shared so many precious insights during our interview that made me question my original intentions to practice Attachment Parenting (which is a form of Gentle Parenting to me).
I’ve always fantasized how my three boys would be happy, calm, and quiet ALL the time if I practice Gentle Parenting. As an Emotional Empath who feels others’ emotions in an intense manner, I struggle so much whenever one or more of my sons argue or fight. I wished that I no longer need to deal with all these upsetting emotions.
I grew up believing my intense emotions are not welcome. If I were a boy, I wouldn’t even be allowed to cry. I remember having a very calm and uneventful childhood, which I was grateful for. My parents love and care for me. I couldn’t imagine needing…