Educating children through... physical behavior, female MC criticized by education experts

MC Gemma Atkinson's account has attracted more than 2 million followers and is one of the social media stars in the UK. Atkinson often shares real-life stories about her own parenting journey.

Most recently, the female MC shared about how she educated her 1-year-old son Thiago by pinching him back when he pinched his 5-year-old sister Mia.

Gemma Atkinson explains: "Thiago is still very young. He's going through a phase where if he feels uncomfortable he can easily scratch or bite people.

He pinched his sister quite painfully and I had to repeat the action with him at a lighter level, so that he would know that pinching others would hurt them. While pinching him, I said: "Does it hurt? Don't pinch anyone." Since then, more than a week has passed, and Thiago has not repeated the act of pinching anyone else."

However, Atkinson's parenting style has been criticised by experts, including Jo Studholme, founder of the parenting magazine Parenting Expert .

British MC Gemma Atkinson (Photo: DM).

Ms Jo Studholme assessed: "Picking a child and considering it an appropriate punishment because the child has pinched someone else is not an effective way to educate children, and can even be harmful.

Parents' actions of pinching their children unintentionally send a signal that violence is acceptable in the process of resolving conflicts.

Instead of pinching their children, parents can use more positive educational methods. For example, parents can make it clear that their children are not allowed to pinch others, then gently talk to their children about their behavior.

If necessary, parents can punish their children severely, not allowing them to do some activities that they love.

MC Gemma Atkinson's family (Photo: DM).

Atkinson is known to share her daily stories about taking care of her young children. Recently, she was also criticized by some parents for letting her daughter Mia regularly watch high-intensity fitness training content. Many people think that this content is not suitable for young children.

In response to the debate over appropriate parenting for young children, Atkinson asserted: "A family friend of mine is a female bodybuilder who trains intensely. Whenever we see her, my daughter Mia is always in awe of her physical strength and beauty.

I feel happy that my child has a love for sports from an early age and has a role model to inspire him. He loves watching high intensity fitness content and I am willing to let him watch.

For my part, I don't like watching that content, but I respect my child's healthy interests."

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/giao-duc-con-bang-hanh-vi-cau-nu-mc-bi-chuyen-gia-giao-duc-chi-trich-20241003182159293.htm