Gentle parenting might sound simple on paper, but when its core values are misunderstood, things can creep into Lord of the Flies territory pretty quickly; «gentle parenting» can easily turn into permissive parenting, idle parenting, or worse, no parenting at all.

A la Lord of the Flies, we all can see how feral children can become when there’s no authoritative adult present. Even in grade school, when the teacher left the room for only a moment, kids were fortifying alliances and establishing miniature (corrupt!) governments and creating entire social subplots in the span of a few seconds. Often underestimated, a child’s chaotic state is their natural order, slipping into disarray with only the briefest of lapses in boundaries. 

But what happens when a kid never learns boundaries at all? 

What happens when they’re never told «No?» What happens when a fog-minded mom’s «gentle parenting» tactics become so lackluster that they hardly resemble parental guidance at all? The kids go feral, that’s what happens. 

This mom was just enjoying her front yard with her toddler when the neighbor’s unattended 3-year-old came charging across the lawn. Although the kid, at first, seemed like he wanted to play with her kid, the mom abided the neighbor kid’s presence, but with no other parent in sight and with a worrisome look of mischief on the stranger’s kid’s face, the mom was uneasy… And rightfully so. Soon enough, the 3-year-old raced into her house, barreling down the door, rushing past the dog, and giving themselves a chaotic, toddler version of a house tour, destroying everyone in their path. 

When the gentle-parenting mom finally showed up, she did nothing to stop it, letting the toddler’s intrusion play out as it may. 

This sparked a parenting debate that speaks for an entire generation. If a parent chooses to do nothing, that’s not a «tactic,» that’s just relinquishing their duties as a parent to help guide a naturally indignant little human. Kids need the guidance, love, and support from their parents, not just a «okay sweetie» or a placating iPad every few hours. This story portrays an obvious lapse in modern parenting that must be corrected… Lest society replays the fateful events of a prepubescent isle of chaotic, unparented children.