By Brittni Barcase
The four tenets of Gentle Parenting include empathy, respect, understanding, and boundaries.
A few days ago, my son was having some big feelings. I approached him with the gentle parenting guidelines in mind— got down on his level, acknowledged his feelings and then named what was happening for him …
Well, surprise, surprise. I’m human. Today he wanted to play with something that is not a toy, and I did a “no” sandwich … a few times. His feelings got bigger, I lost my patience and I yelled.
And you know what he did? HE YELLED BACK AT ME.
Brittni Barcase is a Health Educator at Jewish Community Services
The Mental Well, an initiative of JCS, is an online community for young adults, created by young adults, who are navigating the highs and lows that accompany their 20s and 30s. To learn more, visit thementalwellblog.org or email thementalwell@jcsbaltimore.org.
JCS is a comprehensive human services organization providing a broad range of services that meet the diverse, multi-dimensional needs of individuals and families throughout Central Maryland. To learn more, visit jcsbalt.org or 410-466-9200.
