I never discipline any of my three kids for bad behaviour – people judge me but I always find a hug is the best solution
LIGHTHOUSE parent Rosey Davidson, 40, from North London, lives with her husband and three children aged nine, six and 20 months.
A baby sleep expert, she never disciplines her kids by screaming and shouting – and thinks other mums should follow her lead.
She says: “It makes me so upset to see mums screaming at their kids.
“I think parents need support and education to communicate with their children and react with kindness.
“Bad behaviour in children means something’s bothering them.
“If I punish my child, it adds fire to the flame and they’ll act up even more.
“If my kids make a mistake, I won’t make them say sorry for their actions because they can’t really mean it at their age.
“I give them an opportunity to find their own solution.
“If they’ve hit their sibling in a rage, I let them calm down, give them a hug and tell them that their feelings are important.
“Other parents might think this is enabling bad behaviour.
“If you think shouting at your child works, that’s OK and I don’t judge you, but we know from research that children don’t respond well to aggression.
“Would you punish your husband or your elderly parents if they made a mistake? Probably not, so why punish a child?
“My nine year old gets angry and shouts but I won’t shout back or send her to her room.
“I acknowledge her feelings and we work it out together.
“Recently my six year old hit me really hard but I still didn’t shout.
“I gave her a hug and told her, in a loving and caring way, that hitting wasn’t OK. She made a mistake – we all do.
“The kids would feel so betrayed if I took their toys away as punishment.
“If I had an argument with my husband and told him I was banning TV for a week, it’d upset him more and damage our relationship – I’m not doing that to my child.
“I refuse to parent through fear, intimidation and domination.
“People who do need to be taught calmer ways to communicate.”