Are Gen Z and Millennial parents already moving away from gentle parenting? YPulse’s Parenting Report shows gentle parenting—which focuses on open and calm communication—was the top trending approach Gen Z and Millennial parents were trying in 2024. Now, some young parents are reportedly moving away from the soft style and turning towards what the internet calls “FAFO,” short for “F-Around and Find Out.” The new style is “based on the idea that parents can ask and warn, but if a child breaks the rules, mom and dad aren’t standing in the way of the repercussions.” For example, if a child didn’t bring their raincoat when told, their parents will have them walk in the rain. This has come about as gentle parenting gets more and more criticism, even from the young gens who coined it. Some young parents say they prefer the new, more blunt style of consequence learning as it keeps them from “tiptoeing around their children’s feelings,” while others have slowly implemented bits of this approach into their otherwise gentle parenting. (WSJ)
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