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27th September 2024
04:00pm BST
Rachel - who posts on TikTok under the name @rachonlife - shared a list of ‘unpopular things’ she does as a part of her approach to ‘gentle parenting’.
The US-based mum said: “So for reference, I’m only two-and-a-half years into parenting but these are a lot of conversations that my husband and I have had and we’re pretty certain that these are things that are going to stick - and I’m saying that confidently, with my whole chest.
"You can say, ‘just wait’ all you want, but no. First one’s pretty simple. I’m never going to tell my kids, ‘no’ when they say they’re hungry.
"There will never be an instance where I say, ‘you can wait’ or ‘not right now’ or ‘the kitchen is closed’.
"They can always have something to eat because I am not going to teach my children to ignore the natural cues of their body.
“As soon as I start restricting food, my kids are going to start being deceitful about eating when they’re hungry. I know this, because I did it.”
Rachel then clarified in a follow-up that while she doesn’t limit the times her kids want to eat, she will limit what they eat and regularly offers them healthy options as a snack to check if it's actual hunger or boredom.
Many parents praised and agreed with Rachel, and some even said they used the same rule with their own children.
One person wrote: “My MIL [mother in law] does not understand why I ALWAYS have snacks for the kids she says, ‘my kids were only to eat when told and they ate it.’”
While someone else pointed out: “When adults go out to eat, they order an appetiser so like why can’t a kid have a snack before dinner? Even if it’s like right, right before!”
However, some said this wouldn't work with their kids, with one mum adding: “With my two-year-old I do have to limit her snacks and food because she is a foodie and loves food to the point she will make herself sick.”
A second then said: “I used to agree with the first one but now my five-year-old has started eating just because she's bored so I had to alter it.”