If you were a parent, what would you do if you saw your child throwing a tantrum in public? Some might think that the best way to deal with the child is to go the strict route and perhaps yell at them and put them in their place right then and there. Others might go the gentle route and kindly tell the child to stop. As you can see there are two extremes. It might not be best to be harsh where you are actively harming your child physically or emotionally to the point where they are scared of you. But at the same time, you don’t want to be so gentle with your kids that they feel they can walk all over you. But with two extremes, there is always a gray area.

I think that too many people look at parenting in a black and white way. You’re either a gentle parent or a harsh parent. However, it’s possible to be both at the same time. A lot of people tend to think of one way as superior to the other. In reality, both parenting styles have their strengths and weaknesses. 

Gentle parenting is good because it can help the child feel like they are in a loving atmosphere and they can easily form a relationship with their parents. It can help them easily open up about anything. But it can also cause kids to be more prone to being bratty and possibly having too much freedom. Meanwhile, being strict has the opposite effect where you strive to protect your child at all costs. But it can cause the child to also resent their parents and not have the best relationship. 

I think that the best way to approach parenting is to give them both. Parents should be patient towards their kids and be slow to wrath. But at the same time, they should also be willing to have boundaries for their children. That way, the child can develop a great relationship while at the same time, also know that they should respect you. At the end of the day, you are your child’s parents. You are supposed to teach them right from wrong and how to be respectful human beings so that they can grow up to be productive members of society.

While I am not a parent myself, it’s obvious that parenting is a huge responsibility. I think the difficult part about parenting is the generational differences. I’m coming from the perspective of someone who has experienced both sides of the spectrum from the same set of parents. When I was younger, whenever I would do something wrong or say something that I should not have, my parents would always tell me nicely not to do that. If I didn’t listen to their command, they would then have to take extreme measures. That’s what I respect about my parents to this day. They were patient towards me but always stepped in when it was necessary.