As teachers across the country urgently take to social media to express their deep concerns about the future of Generation Alpha, one kindergarten teacher joins the conversation and explains how “nice parenting” is “ruining” children. shared an “unpopular opinion” about young children.
This teacher took to TikTok to highlight the major challenges teachers face when teaching young children.
Teacher Kathy Martinez explained that in the 10 years she has been teaching kindergarten, she has noticed a noticeable change in her students' behavior and believes it is due to a change in parenting style.
“I feel like 10 years ago, kids were so easy to handle,” Martinez explained. “They understood that they had to be respectful to adults and teachers. They understood what school was and how to behave appropriately.”
“In today's society, gentle parenting is ruining children,” she added.
Martinez suggested that this parenting style is not necessarily beneficial for all children, and that some children require a more authoritative approach.
In fact, research shows that gentle parenting strategies are not always effective when managing aggressive and defiant behavior in children. According to Simply Working Mama, “Focusing on emotional validation and not having clear boundaries can lead to a lack of structure and discipline in children.”
Gentle parenting can provide an alternative to the problematic nature of certain authoritative approaches.
According to The New Yorker, gentle parenting gained popularity because of its approach of helping children recognize and understand “the emotions and motivations behind challenging behavior, rather than correcting the behavior itself.” It is said that they are doing so.
The psychology behind this parenting style suggests respecting boundaries, offering options rather than commands, and avoiding the use of rewards and punishments.
When used properly, gentle parenting can ultimately help children become more self-aware, emotionally intelligent, and better able to manage their emotions. The New Yorker suggested, “Children become self-regulated, kind, and conscientious people because they want to be, not because they become ice cream.”
However, this parenting style is misunderstood by many and seems to be getting out of hand.
In the comments, TikTokers suggested clarification between gentle parenting and “passive” or “absent” parenting.
Although it is definitely necessary to teach children to accept and understand their emotions, some parents take a flawed approach to their parenting style that leaves their children with frequent negative outcomes and disciplinary action. I leave it alone without receiving it.
People characterize this approach as “passive” or “absent” parenting. This means that parents let their children do what they want with little or no direction or guidance in order to please them and avoid conflict. “I think gentle parenting is confused with passive parenting. Real gentle parenting is emotionally conscious and authoritative,” the teacher of 10 years explained in a comment on Martinez's TikTok. did.
“I think the problem is that people who are trying to do gentle parenting don't understand it. What's really going on is an absence of parenting,” another added in a comment.
It is because of this lack of parental guidance that so many children run wild in the classroom, with teachers spending most of their time trying to regain control rather than actually teaching students. There is.
“Our hands are tied and we can't do anything when students are misbehaving, yelling, swearing, throwing chairs. They are trying to hit the teacher with their jackets and stomping on their feet,” Martinez expressed concern. “That's no good. It's when gentle parenting doesn't benefit the child.”
“My kids aren't getting the education they deserve because teachers are preoccupied with dealing with 'bad' kids. It's not fair,” one parent commented on TikTok.
The root cause of this problem may have a lot to do with the growing lack of respect for teachers from parents and administrators.
In addition to standardized testing being the main focus of public education, the overuse of technology is placing a mental strain on children, greatly reducing the true joy of learning.
Teachers are leaving their jobs in droves because they lack support and respect not only from their students, but also from parents and the academic community.
A whopping 300,000 teachers in the United States chose to retire between February 2020 and May 2022, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics data report and a report in the Wall Street Journal.
Many teachers believe that if this kind parenting style continues, an Alpha generation crisis is imminent.
Under the right circumstances, gentle parenting, when done correctly, has many benefits, but in reality, countless factors lead children to believe that they are immune to influence, and teachers do not I am deeply concerned about our future.
Teachers are affected by the instability of Generation Alpha and urgently suggest a balance between gentle and authoritative parenting before it's too late.
When children reach their teens, their behavior becomes more dramatic and difficult to regulate if they have never been taught any forms of respect or limits. By then it will be too late to claim any authority and their behavior will worsen.
There is no perfect parenting style, but balance is an urgent need when it comes to parenting.
Parenting is no easy job, but if countless teachers across the country have expressed concerns about the future of Generation Alpha due to their intemperate behavior, it's time to take back control before things escalate. means it is a priority.
“We have to teach our children right from wrong. If they can't tell right from wrong, they will end up in prison,” Martinez stressed. “Teachers are not there to pick up kids, they are there to do a job, and your child is interfering with the teacher's job. It hinders learning.”
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, Florida. She covers topics in lifestyle, human interest, adventure, and spirituality.
