09/08/2022
Very true!
Conscious Parenting and Social Justice are intimately related.
Social Justice is anti-oppression work, and Conscious Parenting is also anti-oppression work.
Conscious parenting is not just about getting your kids to do what you want in a more peaceful way. It's not traditional parenting done more gently. It is a child liberation philosophy.
Conscious parenting is based on treating kids as whole human beings. Not less deserving of respect, autonomy, or consent because they are different. Not more deserving of being controlled and having their freedom curtailed because they are different.
I mention 'difference' because in almost every post or comment I see justifying coercing and oppressing children, people talk about their "brain development" and "frontal lobe" as the reason. That because kids think differently than adults it gives us the right to control them against their will.
This same attitude has been used to justify oppressing many other groups in the past. Indigenous people were seen as different, black people were seen as different, women were seen as different, disabled people seen as different, neurodivergent people seen as different... all of these groups of people have been oppressed by the dominant demographic and power structures of society using the same mindset. And still are!
Adults have systemic power over children. The four main areas of this systemic power are Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Access to Resources power. In the traditional mindset it's perfectly okay to use that power to control our children "for their own good". In conscious parenting we recognize children are more vulnerable than adults, they are widely oppressed in society, and we endeavor to do things differently.
The things we do to kids that are normalized, would immediately be considered abusive tactics in an adult relationship. Taking away their belongings, putting them in their rooms, yelling at them, making them eat what they don't want to, sleep when they don't want to, obey without question, using fear of pain, punishment, and consequences to alter their behavior, to control their choices.
When we engage in conscious parenting practices we are refusing to use our systemic power to oppress kids in this way. Sometimes, conscious parenting strategies are much less convenient than the more controlling ones. However, we do them anyways because it is the right thing to do. It's the right way to treat other humans.
Social justice activists are working against the oppression of vulnerable, marginalized communities. As conscious parents, we do the same.This is why social justice activism and conscious parenting are intimately related.
If you hold racist, sexist, genderist, ablest, homophobic, transphobic or classist views you are not doing Conscious Parenting, or at least you are not fully embracing the mindset.
Of course we all hold biases around these things, that's part of living in an oppressive society. We are steeped in those prejudiced mindsets from the day of our birth. It's in every aspect and system of society, the education system, financial system, legal and correctional system, the media, and in our general thinking patterns. To work through our biases is a constant effort, that is part of social justice activism, just like working through our childism is a constant part of conscious parenting.
Doing this work is essential because if we pass on the mindset that it's okay to oppress one group of people, we are not truly raising our kids with a liberation mindset. We cannot oppress one group of people while claiming to liberate another. This is why conscious parenting and social justice activism are intimately related.
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Conscious Parenting and Social Justice Activism are intimately related.
Conscious parenting is not about getting our kids to do what we want in a more peaceful way. It is a child liberation philosophy.
If you hold racist, sexist, genderist, ablest, homophobic, transphobic or classist views you are not doing Conscious Parenting.
We cannot oppress one group of people while claiming to liberate another.
