Has Gentle Parenting Gone Too Far? (The Drew Mariani Show)

On The Drew Mariani Show, Drew sat down with parenting expert Dr. Meg Meeker to talk about a trend that sounds lovely on paper; it's called gentle parenting, and it can quietly set kids up for trouble if it’s taken too far. You know the idea: calm voices, no spanking, lots of explaining feelings. 👍 In theory, great! But Dr. Meeker explains that kids aren’t born with a fully-formed sense of self-control. They need firm, loving boundaries to learn discipline and feel safe. Without them, the “gentle” approach can morph into passive parenting, where kids end up calling the shots... and parents are just along for the ride. Drew shared a jaw-dropping stat from the Wall Street Journal: nearly 1 in 3 Gen Z workers had a parent write their résumé, 3 out of 4 brought a parent to their job interview (😮), and almost half had Mom or Dad talk to their boss. Dr. Meeker sees a connection: when kids never have to face hard consequences growing up, they struggle to launch in adulthood. She’s quick to say gentle parenting isn’t all bad; listening to kids and validating their feelings is great. However, without clear limits... things go sideways fast. The parenting style that's a healthy balance is called Authoritative: involving rules, consequences, and love. For example, when her teenage daughter once told her to “shut up,” she grounded her for a month; she stuck with it, even though it made her life harder too. That follow-through taught a lesson that stuck for life. Kids may roll their eyes, slam doors, and call you “mean,” but deep down, firm boundaries give them the safety and direction they crave. Don't be afraid to be a true parent; your kids will thank you later.  The best way to listen to the Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free, and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.