Responsive Parenting: Balancing patience and structure while teaching emotional regulation
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — About half of moms and one-third of dads are almost one month in on New Year’s resolutions they set related to their parenting. Licensed Marriage and Family… Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Kathleen Fenn has discussed the concept of "responsive parenting," a parenting style that combines patience and understanding with structure and boundaries. This style is a mix of gentle parenting and a more traditional, authoritative style. Fenn suggests that making connections with your child and teaching them how to regulate emotions can set them up better in the long run. Clear boundaries, routine and consistency can create a sense of safety for children, but also teach them to identify their feelings and feel safe communicating them.
Published : 4 months ago by Eliza Green in Lifestyle
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — About half of moms and one-third of dads are almost one month in on New Year’s resolutions they set related to their parenting.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Kathleen Fenn joined 17 News at Sunrise to talk about a parenting style called “responsive parenting.”
This parenting style is a bit of a mix between gentle parenting and a more traditional, authoritative style. The idea is to combine patience and understanding with structure and boundaries, all with a focus on assessing your child’s needs in the moment.
Making connections with your child, as well as providing skills for your child to learn how to regulate emotions rather than simply getting upset at behaviors can set your child up better in the long run, explained Fenn.
Mixing both structure and empathy can benefit most children. Clear boundaries, routine and consistency create a sense of safety that children need. However, also acknowledging their emotions while forming a connection with them provides an environment that teaches children to identify their feelings and feel safe communicating them which are important steps in learning how to self-regulate.
For the full interview, watch the video in the player.
Topics: Parenting