RIE Parenting

michaela080

What do we think of this? I like the general principles of it. The only think I would think of questioning would be how discipline is handled when the principle is that kids are "equal members in relationships." I haven't seen that specifically addressed in my brief perusal.

Edit: I mean discipline if the child didn't follow your "clear expectations."

https://www.mamaeve.com/general-parenting/what-is-rie-parenting-10-links/

https://www.rie.org/educaring/ries-basic-principles/

aylafsu88

I find it a good idea in general. I think to often we shove toys and gadgets in infants faces. I know that when LO is at the IL's they shove toy after toy in her face instead of letting her see/observe/interact with the environment/toys she chooses. I try to follow many of the RIE techniques but I do not explain every little thing to her. I ain't got time for that.

The only part I found silly was in the second article where they talk about about trust the infants competence. I mean seriously. My infant tries to eat sticks, the cap of chapstick, a rock etc. That part was really silly as infants have no concept of what can be dangerous. I cannot trust her to explore and choose everythig that she wants to play/interact with.

apollonia10

It's a good idea in a lot of ways, and I like the idea of equipping a child with a sense of competence and independence. That said, I can see how many parents could fall into the trap of "over-trusting" a kid - like letting them stay up too late or eat whatever they want because they don't want to set boundaries, rationalizing their parenting with "We're just letting him be independent."

Kids like boundaries. They like knowing what to expect. DS doesn't like when I take his toys away, but when he bangs them against the window, he watches me while he does it because he knows I'll take it away. It makes his life predictable instead of chaotic. He has a lot of autonomy and opportunities to be independent, but he does it in a world of boundaries.

Barefoot84

I got lost following the links, and stumbled upon an article on the differences between AP and RIE. I'm going to be looking into RIE more closely before having my next child. I was mostly following the AP style, and I can relate with some difficulties the author had when she was following AP with her first two, as opposed to RIE with her third child. I think RIE might help us find a better balance once we have two kids, and to avoid certain opportunities for sibling rivalry.

Thanks for posting this.