If being a mum isn’t hard enough, then you’ve got to deal with the parenting opinions of everyone else. From your well-intended mum who wants to share her own experience and the best way to do things to the mum at playgroup who insists her baby slept through the night from birth. It’s fair to say everyone has an opinion about raising kids. In this episode, Ange and Sam chat to Jill Lim about the most unpopular parenting opinions to decide if they are really all that bad…
About our guest – Jill Lim
Jill is a new age mom trying to do things the old school way. She presents her radio show weeknights on KISS92 and tries to juggle everything else in the day – including learning how to juggle (literally). Mum to a little girl, Lily, Jill is also a HoneyKids regular and contributes articles each month sharing her views on everything from breastfeeding to whether it’s ever okay to argue in front of your kids. Needless to say, she isn’t afraid to share her take on exactly what she thinks of different parenting approaches. In this episode, we discuss everything from screen time and phone usage to cry it out sleep training methods. Here’s what’s in store…
Key points we covered in this episode to take a listen to…
02:05 – We start with the first unpopular parenting opinion – “it’s okay not to regulate screentime”. Jill shares her take on screen time for young kids and kids of school age. We also talk about phone usage and discuss our different opinions, with Ange sharing why she’s reluctant to go down the phone route with her kids. Oh, and why we all wish we could bring back Nokia…
07:33 – Next up, “Kids don’t need to do any extracurricular activities before the age of 6”. From the benefits for little ones to the benefits for parents (more free time!), our consensus is that extracurricular activities shouldn’t be seen as bad for anyone.
10:15 – More screen time topics to discuss; this time, it’s video games and, “It’s okay to play video games for as long as you want (as long as you’ve done your homework).” Jill shares that introducing technology can be beneficial as it teaches kids self-control and discipline and argues that it’s hard to do this if we don’t give them access in the first place.
12:36 – A popular topic at the moment, with the rise of baby theybie – “It’s okay to raise a gender-neutral baby”. As well as our take on the gender-neutral parenting trend, we discuss girl and boy stereotypes and how we, as parents, can influence our kid’s preferences and reinforce stereotypes without even knowing it.
19:45 – “Cry it out is totally acceptable for babies. The earlier you do it, the better.” The consensus? It’s up to the individual and what’s right for you, and not something to do based on pressure from others. Jill shares her experience of trying the crying out method and why it didn’t work for her, but why she is pro sleep training, even if it’s unpopular among her friends.
24:30 – “Kids need siblings to share and avoid becoming selfish.” Is there such a thing as the only child syndrome? Jill shares her own experience of having a sister, and we discuss the impact of siblings – both good and bad!
…more to follow in Episode 3!
Want to know more? Check out these resources….
Catch Jill on KISS92 on weeknights, or check out her parenting adventure on Instagram.
Want to read more about Jill’s take on things? Jill shares the top 5 expert tips that didn’t work for her, what it was like being a new mum in the new normal, and why she regrets not having a confinement nanny.
Sleep training is always contentious – co-host, Sam, put sleep training to the test and never looked back. Here’s her account of why it was money well spent as far as she was concerned.
Looking for guidance when it comes to screentime? We’ve got it covered with this guide.
Want to read more about raising a gender-neutral baby? Here’s the lowdown on everything you need to know about raising baby grey.
Want to get involved in the conversation and have your say? Join the dedicated Facebook group for our Growing Pains Podcast. Stay up to date and never miss an episode by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, Instagram and Facebook.
Check out Episode 3 for more unpopular parenting opinions!