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so we see a lot about gentle parenting on tiktok, specifically on youtube compilations, and wanted to talk about how gentle parenting affects how we see the world and why its so important to us!
so from our point of view, there are four main components to gentle parenting: consent, communication, choices, and compassion. there are also three ways to apply these topics: children, online, and social circles.
consent
these topics are all pretty self-explanatory, so i dont need to give you definitions, but!
consent is one of our key values, the idea that one should always freely and verbally say "yes" in order for us to do something, and its amazing for children as it teaches them that they do have a say in what is happening to and with them. for example, for a lot of our cousins, we dont hug them right away. instead, we ask, "can i have a hug?" and most times they will say yes. online consent is also great because you cant see others through screens, so you have to ask for consent in order to do something. we cant analyze their body language and facial expressions because were not face-to-face, so we must ask for consent and have a clear 'yes' or 'no' answer. and finally, we ask for consent in social circles (friends, partners, family, etc.) to show respect.
- if a friend is having a bad day, we can ask, "would you like some memes to feel better?" if they say no, then we give them a choice... but more on that later.
- if a partner does not like being touched but we feel very touch-starved, we may say, "can we hug you?" to prepare them for our actions
- if we are out with a family member, we'll say, "may we buy this stuffed animal in the window?" since it is their money and their treat.