大象传媒

What does it mean to be a 鈥榞entle parent鈥�?

Parenting trends are nothing new. But 鈥榞entle parenting鈥� is one approach that鈥檚 seeing a boom on TikTok, with the hashtag hitting over 2.6 billion views and counting. A term first coined by @sarahockwellsmith in The Gentle Parenting Book in 2016, 鈥橤entle parents鈥� say they look for the motivations behind their child鈥檚 challenging behaviour rather than simply correcting it.

To discuss the trend and how it works in practice, Emma Barnett was joined on 大象传媒 Radio 4鈥檚 Woman鈥檚 Hour by parent and content creator Kelly Medina Enos who has adopted the technique with her three-year-old, including everything from creating a 鈥榗alm down corner鈥�, to limiting the amount she uses the word 鈥榥o鈥�.

Emma also spoke to psychologist and author of the 1970s parenting bible 鈥榊our Baby and Child鈥�, Dr Penelope Leach, to discuss the impact the parenting trend may have. You can listen back to their conversation on 大象传媒 Sounds. It鈥檚 the episode from 3 October.