Monday 10 February 2014

Gentle Parenting

Hey guys!
Recently I've been reading up on a phenomenon/ philosophy called "gentle parenting". Basically, it combines elements of attachment parenting and positive child guidance (both of which you guys already know that I'm a fan of).

I really like that there are people out there who are pro-actively looking for ways to improve how they parent, rather than just accepting the way they were brought up, or the "norm" (e.g. spanking or time-out).

I am actively trying to incorporate elements of gentle parenting into my practice as an ECE teacher. Some examples of this are:

Walking across the room and getting down to a child's level and speaking in a soft voice to them when I want to help them regulate their behaviour, as opposed to raising my voice at them from across the room.

Telling I child what I want to see them do, instead of telling them what I don't want to see.

Offering children more choices instead of always giving direct instructions.

Always believing in the child, and their abilities, celebrating what they are capable of instead of stressing over what they can't yet do.

Making sure that my words and actions towards them are always seasoned with love and grace, just as our heavenly Father is loving and gracious towards us.

Now, I know that sometimes my ideals don't always come to fruition, but my belief is that if I aim for the moon and miss, then at least I'll land among the stars :)

I hope this blog can help some of you guys, as much as it helps me :)

Love,

Melanie Raye.