There’s a reason why people warn that you should never tell a parent how to raise their children.
It isn’t just obnoxious, but it can also cause a lot of tension and unfair judgment. After all, is there any one way to navigate the murky and turbulent waters of parenting?
Now, Channel Nine is throwing out the social rule book with its new show Parental Guidance that puts parenting styles to the test.
Today Show host and mum-of-two Allison Langdon will be joined by parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson as they work closely with 10 brave sets of parents with very different approaches to parenting.
From tiger parents to helicopter parents, routine, free-range, extreme and authoritarian, these parents will put their values and techniques to the test through a variety of challenges to uncover the best method.
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Allison even revealed that the show’s helped her become more relaxed and less of a helicopter mum.
In conversation with the Sydney Morning Herald told the publication that she didn’t think she would learn from the other parents, but she’s grateful for the education.
“I undertook this experiment thinking I’m going to be drawn towards these parents or those parents. What I found really interesting was how much I took away from all of them,” she said.
Allison admits she’s learnt a lot about parenting her own kids from the show.
(Credit: Channel Nine)Ally, who was raised on a farm, says she had more freedom than her city-bound kids Mack and Scout but since working on Parental Guidance has implemented some of those old school values through a modern lens.
“I’d love to raise them the way I was brought up, but it’s a bit tricky when you’ve got little kids and I constantly find myself saying, ‘Be careful, watch out, don’t do that’,” she shared.
“One of the things I’ve taken away from this show is that my husband and I try to do that a whole lot less. [Before] if we were at the park and the four-year-old was climbing a tree, we were like, ‘Careful, Mack!’ And as soon as you say that, the kid thinks, oh, this must be dangerous, so they’re not working out for themselves how far they can go, we’re just hovering a little too much.”
So, before you place your judgements (and for once you’re meant to), meet the parents of Parental Guidance.
Parental Guidance
Andrew and Miriam follow a strict parenting model.
Parental Guidance
Brett and Tony are all about routine with their quads – two sets of twins.
Parental Guidance
Loveable Lara and Andrew look after their two kids with attachment parenting.
Parental Guidance
Single mum Deb home schools her six children.
Parental Guidance
Mais oui! Yann and Donna are all about the French way of parenting.
Parental Guidance
As parents Penny and Daniel subscribe to the free range method to raise their trio of kids.
Parental Guidance
Partners Kevin and Debbie are tiger parents.
Parental Guidance
Sam and Rachel admit their parenting style is helicopter.
Parental Guidance
Meet Liadhan and Richard, their parenting style is nature.
Parental Guidance
Lastly, Rob and Sioux’s parenting style of choice is disciplined.
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