Gentle Parenting?
By 14-year-old Adahna Henry
Let us give a round of applause to the mothers and fathers who found it wise to adopt “gentle parenting”.
They have completely changed the hands-on approach to parenting, thrown out the good old belt, and as a result, they have forfeited control and handed it to their children with a bow on top.
Their contribution to gun violence and crime in youth should be celebrated, as they have traded discipline for contumacy, respect for disregard of authority, and manners for discourtesy.
We will never be sure if it was their original intent to receive such exemplary behavior from their children, but they sure did achieve it. Who cares if a child’s stubborn nature prevents them from learning, or if their blatant disrespect paints them as a nuisance to society?
Obviously not their parents! Let’s not forget how this approach to parenting entails self-expression through the way in which an individual dresses.
The only trait that these minors express is a promiscuous nature, which most have obtained from their parents.
The free will that children have, leave them as victims to the real world, with no hand to guide them, no words of God filled encouragement, and no path into the light. So again, I say congrats for shaping the minds of these young people in an egregious manner and leaving them to walk blindly into the traffic of reality. You all have done an outstanding job!
Ephesians 6:4 states, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Apparently the “gentle parenting” concept does not encompass the will of the Lord or the teachings of the bible.
This approach, instead, disregards the basic training that children should receive and encourages the idea that actions do not have consequences and, overall, leads to the questionable decisions that children make.
We must also focus on the indirect effect gentle parenting has on social skills and overemphasis on feelings, as children may face difficulties in developing social skills without learning how to navigate conflicts, or having the ability to manage and regulate their emotions when they are faced with discomfort or disappointment.
As much as I would love to say that I aspire to raise my children using the hands-on method, I fear the good behavior, respect, positivity, and overall success that comes along with disciplining children.
So I implore everyone to apply the new approach and reverse all the wonderful results that our ancestors managed to achieve. Let us make this nation violent, disrespectful, and unsuccessful. Let us be “gentle parents.”
