Family

There are many modern ideas that make sense to those of us who came of age with them, but it's a really interesting exercise to view those same ideas from the perspective of older generations. It can make things seem pretty absurd. For example:

Gentle parenting has been the anxious Millennial antidote to the trauma caused by their Boomer parents' not-so-gentle approach to raising kids. This new wave of parents has become determined to not let history repeat itself, to usher in a kinder, more emotionally secure, more confident generation of humans.

What is gentle parenting?

Gentle parenting is an evidence-based approach in which, instead of being punitive toward their kids, parents build an empathetic, respectful relationship with them. In this approach, although parents create firm boundaries, they also emotionally validate their children as much as possible. This often runs in opposition to the more authoritative parenting style used by Baby Boomers.

A mom kissing her daughter's forehead. via Canva/Photos

A fun, tongue-in-cheek, and instantly viral video created by 37-year-old mom of two, Taylor Wolfe, shows how tough it can be for Millennials to bridge the generational parenting gap.

The clip, which racked up 5.8 million views in less than 24 hours, shows Taylor trying to teach her Boomer mother, Sandy Wolfe, the ins and outs of gentle parenting so she can use these more compassionate tactics with her grandkids.

Let’s just say, many found her failed attempt completely relatable, not to mention hilarious.

Sandy’s well-intentioned “Be careful!” to her granddaughter gets met with Taylor saying, “We don’t say ‘Be careful!’ anymore. Instead, say, ‘What’s your plan here?’”

“I don’t even know my plan! Do you know your plan?!” Sandy retorts.

Cut to: Sandy says “Stop. Don’t hit your sister.” Suddenly, Taylor pops up from behind a corner to instruct: “Don’t say, ‘Stop,’ say, ‘Gentle.’”

“‘Gentle’…what?” asks a confused Sandy.

“‘Gentle hands,’” quips Taylor, adding. “‘Gentle’ everything.”

A mom and daughter lying on sheet music. via Canva/Photos

Boomers have a hard time learning gentle parenting

Sandy can’t even catch a break when she says, “I’m so proud of you,” because, as Taylor explains, “you’re not supposed to tell kids you’re proud of them anymore. That’s putting the focus on you.”

Then a classic comedy of errors ensues as Taylor advises Sandy to say “you should be so proud” and Sandy replies “I AM so proud!”

Viewers could help but laugh at their own perhaps overzealous attempts to bring gentle parenting into their life.

“I tried to gentle parent this morning but it turned into ‘OMG GET YOUR FORKING SHOES ON,”” one person wrote, while another added, “I always started with the Mary Poppins approach but sometimes you need to elevate to Judge Judy.”

Others felt like this perfectly depicted how gentle parenting sometimes misses the mark.

“I’m feeling anxious after observing gentle parenting,” one person wrote.

Another simply said, “I stand with grandma.”

This isn’t the first time Taylor and Sandy have given us a good chuckle comparing their different parenting styles. Here’s another funny video from August of 2023 where Taylor is flabbergasted to hear how her mother managed without Google:

Listen, gentle parenting is great for helping parents be more mindful and less reactive with their kids, which can do wonders for everyone. But there’s also something to be said for not getting so wound up in the minutia of every parent-child interaction, thinking anything and everything could be threatening to a child’s development. As with anything, balance—and a sense of humor—is always key.

Follow along on more of Taylor’s fun and relatable content on TikTok.

This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.