What ‘Gentle Parenting’ Misunderstands About Human Nature
“…gentle parenting professionals are liable to use reductive and ahistorical claims about human beings as the groundwork on which to build a whole series of promises.” - Megan Dent
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I hope that the critiques of gentle parenting- while necessary- do not cause parents to think that they should not be gentle. Jesus taught us that he could be meek and gentle while still being firm and authoritative.
I think of how Jesus dealt with the 7 churches in Revelation. In Rev 1:4 he tells them he comes lovingly with peace and grace, but he still admonishes them. (BTW admonishment in scripture means a gentle rebuke). As he admonishes the churches he gently reminds them about what they are doing right before he corrects them for what they are doing wrong. This is a good example for us to follow as parents. Even the church at Laodicea where there is nothing to commend them for, Jesus tells them he loves them.
JD Miller, agreed. Parents should be authoritative but can be gentle at the same time, and not enough children have had parents like that. It's my experience that I usually see parents either NOT parenting, or else parenting to harshly.
Gentle parenting advocates do seem to react very strongly to what they perceive as overly harsh parenting they themselves received. But the ones I have read twist the Scriptures to deny any role for corporal punishment. While I have not come across any Christian "gentle parents" who openly deny the existence of a sin nature, their methods do give that impression.
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