Never thought I would say this. But gentle parenting is tough. Period.
We read a lot about gentle parenting and am convinced that its more demanding in practice than in theory. After all, we are not parenting a human-shaped toy. We get to deal with actual human beings who can yell at the top of their lungs and flop on to the floor as though the cold floor gives them the warmth of a blanket, all because of a simple two letter word "NO"! A "NO" that's it. Not sure why children despise that word so much, although it appears vulnerable and assertive to the adults at the same time.
For starters, parenting in itself is one of most exhausting phases of life, let alone the "gentle". It often feel like you need the mindfulness, resilience and patience of a monk to deal with this. Well, in our twenties and thirties, do we chase our dreams and savor our life to the fullest or embark on a monastic journey!
Jokes apart, whether we choose to have a child or not, parenting must be taught to couples before we become parents. Because I believe there's nothing more challenging than this one regardless of what we do. Regardless of the effort you invest in making everything right, you'll never live past a day without being guilty . That's the irony of this phase! Where you'll discover an unconditional love even after this little human put you through all these hardships.
As I mentioned in the beginning of my bickering, gentle parenting is challenging. But then the truth is, no one can take away the contentment when we choose to gently respond to situations instead of reacting. As parents, what we need to provide our children may not be just education, clothing or electronic devices; its the value of listening without judgement. We have become conditioned to ensuring our children behave or respond according to the societal norms. But if we keep aside all those expectations and simply be present with our child, as if they are still a part of us who got to venture outside our body, we can experience their pain and struggles.
Lets start with small steps, may be just sit beside them when they throw tantrum over that simple yet powerful word "NO".
You'll get there...…
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