I regret not practicing gentle parenting with my oldest kids. I'm making up for lost time now.

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A mother and child walk in a park.
The author (not pictured) said she mostly stuck to "old-school" parenting techniques as a new mother.

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I struggle to gentle parent my toddler. My traumatic childhood makes it difficult to stay calm during her temper tantrums.

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a mother holding her toddler who is throwing a temper tantrum
The author, not pictured, struggles to gentle parent her toddler.

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Child-focused parenting is exhausting. Some parents are finally ditching it.

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A colorful child's birthday party with a mom cheering up a crying daughter

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When my wife died at 39, I raised our daughter alone. My parenting style is 'whatever gets us through the day.'

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A father holds her daughter's hand while looking at the sunset.
Peter Danes (not pictured) has been raising his daughter alone since she was four.

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I run a preschool and see how gentle parenting has made parents less engaged with their kids. It's time to ditch parenting scripts.

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Mothers talking in a school group in a playroom
Parent's talk amongst themselves in a playroom

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Gentle parenting was sucking out the joy of being a mom. Now I have a trial and error approach.

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A mom and their child play under a blanket fort with dinosaurs lighted by flashlights only.

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Am I gentle parenting, or am I just a pushover?

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Dad with son at playground
The author is not sure if gentle parenting actually works.

Courtesy of the author

I ditched gentle parenting. As my child got older, I felt like I was enabling bad behavior.

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Photo illustration of a parent with children acting out.

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Millennials have a favorite parenting style. It isn't working.

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How gentle parenting went bust.
Parents are giving up on gentle parenting after finding that the guidance is confusing or just doesn't work for their kids.

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My first exposure to gentle parenting ended in projectile vomiting.

Gen Alpha gets a bad rap for being overstimulated 'iPad kids,' but one teacher says we've got it all wrong

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Children raising their hands in class
Gen Alphas have been dubbed "mini-millennials."

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