Bill Maher Says The Only Reason Parenting Is Hard These Days Is Because Parents Make It Hard — ‘Gentle Parenting Is Wrong’
He claimed that parents are the reason why kids are facing too many hardships in life now.
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A | Shutterstock When it comes to gentle parenting, everyone has differing opinions on whether or not it's effective.
Comedian and writer Bill Maher took his shot at the debate during an episode of "Real Time with Bill Maher," claiming that the reason parenting is difficult these days is because of the way that people have chosen to raise their kids.
He argued that the only reason raising kids is hard nowadays is because parents make it hard.
"Hearing how parenting is so hard these days ... yeah, because you're making it hard," Maher bluntly stated in a clip from his show posted to TikTok. The 68-year-old talk show host explained that the real problem is gentle parenting, which seems to have become the preferred parenting style these days.
Gentle parenting is defined as a child-led parenting approach that emphasizes respect, connection, and positive discipline. It's meant to be a more respectful and empathetic way for parents to relate to their children instead of the harsh and more intense disciplining that many older generations used.
It's supposed to boost a child's emotional intelligence and help their social skills.
However, Maher argued that it's "ruining" lives for parents and children alike. According to the host, parents have essentially made themselves a "butler" for their children, allowing them to "run the show."
"The average high school kid has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the early 1950s. A recent survey of employers found that about one in five recent college graduates brought their parents with them to a job interview," Maher said. "Our kids are crippled with anxiety because they haven't been properly prepared for a world that doesn't revolve around them."
The goal of gentle parenting is not to allow children to have all the power but to give children a voice and an opportunity to develop their own autonomy early on in life.
It's a bit of a reach to generalize that every single parent who practices gentle parenting is instead ruining their children, and while that parenting approach may not work for every family, it does work for some.
Parenting is not an easy job in the slightest. It doesn't matter how many parenting books you read or how many classes you go to before welcoming a baby; there is no guidebook on the best way to raise a child.
It's such a learn-as-you-go experience, and we're only human. Parents will make mistakes, but they should be allowed at least a little bit of grace because it's not done consciously. Every parent is just doing their best to raise a functioning and competent human being who can stand on their own two feet.
Even critics of gentle parenting, Maher likely included, might not be properly educated on what it is and why it works.
Instead of judging parents, we should be looking at the lack of systems and resources for them.
When it comes to parenting, economic pressure and financial disparity play a huge role, especially when it comes to childcare. According to a poll conducted by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 34% of families with young children are facing serious problems finding childcare when adults need to work.
The cost of living has also gone up exponentially, meaning many parents are being forced to quit their jobs and become stay-at-home parents.
College is equally as expensive, and the debt for student loans has reached $1.7 trillion. There are so many factors that go into the difficulty of parenting nowadays that we just can't afford to point the finger at parents themselves.
Parenting isn't hard because parents make it harder than it needs to be. Parenting is hard because there are other factors at play that make raising children much more complicated. When most parents spend the bulk of their time working and struggling to put food on the table, quality time and active time to parent and engage become a privilege.
We could all learn from practicing grace and empathy, especially when it comes to parents and the entire journey of parenthood.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.