There’s a new wave sweeping Perth and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

It’s not a new craft beer or yoga craze. No, this one involves parents and grandparents, and it’s a philosophy that’s got some of us old-school types scratching our heads.

The reason I’m a bit confused is I had a reasonably strict childhood, like many Aussies did, and I think I turned out OK.

When I was a kid, Benjamin Spock’s phenomenally successful book on child rearing, Dr Spock’s Baby And Child Care, was being passed around, so I know a bit about new age thinking. But what I’ve heard about recently in Perth goes well beyond that.

It’s called “gentle parenting”, or in some homes, “gentle grandparenting”.

The idea is simple: no yelling, no punishments, no raised voices. Just calm reasoning. Sounds lovely, right?

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