@thebigbabooski Why read those two articles in parallel? Because I think when there is a general assumption that it is a parent's priority to correct sin or instill godliness that it very quickly can devolve into legalistic and authoritarian discipline, and that those methods that include corporal or psychologically combative forms of coercion are easily baptized as necessary for inculcating moral goodness.

@thebigbabooski Nic, thanks for the interaction. I imagine we're not actually that far apart in terms of how these things cash out in actual practices. I think there's a lot in gentle parenting to affirm; much of it seems fairly uncontroversial (e.g., being a kind/gentle/compassionate human being to your children). I do think Simon touches on something significant, though. I think we need more options than either the "break the child's will" approach or the more extreme versions of gentle parenting. To retain some use for words like "punishment" and "sin" doesn't mean a parent has to sign on for the fundamentalist vision of corporal punishment. But, without any recourse to this (biblical) language, we are depriving children, as Simon argues, of an awareness of the depths of their twisted hearts and the beauty of redemption/forgiveness. I actually don't think the lack of concrete examples is much of a weakness. I think her piece opens up some imaginative space for other paths for parents to take. I take her concerns to be resonant with those articulated here, though the concern is the church rather than parenting.

@bbowman I appreciate the follow-up. a general principle I’m sure we could probably both agree on is one should look neither to TikTok/Instagram full-time influencers nor Bill Gothard or Doug Wilson as the best subject matter experts for good parenting strategies 😊