RIE Parenting – Parents especially mothers will often spend time at home taking care of their children.
Parenting is not easy work because it is based on respect, trust, and connection.
To do this job well, parents should know and choose the best parenting method, one of the parenting methods is RIE Parenting.
Stands for Resources for Infant Educarers, RIE Parenting definition is often known as respectful, peaceful, and mindful parenting.
RIE, discovered by Magda Gerber an early childhood educator from Hungaria, allows children to do things based on what they want without any interruptions from their parents.
These parenting styles become more famous when the former artist Janet Lansbury began to study it and now she becomes one of the best in this field. Because of that, there are many RIE Child Care Centers and RIE Parenting Classes emerging.
Let’s talk about the mechanisms, babies should be treated like an adult, so parents have to ask permission or opinions on what will they do to their children. Asking children to talk, even maybe when they have not understood, can make them safe, autonomous, competent, and connected.
When children feel safe, they will feel appreciated by knowing someone pays attention to them and it can influence their personality. Parents should believe that babies are capable enough to understand the environment.
Babies will grow better if they are given enough space and freedom to learn without much direction. Parents are recommended to give chance for babies to start activities based on what the babies choose.
Therefore, children will feel competent and independent to face the world around them.
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The Characteristics of RIE Parenting
The main point of this parenting is communication. Janet Lansbury, a parent educator, explained that authentic communication is needed.
Whether you are biological parents or mothers, you still have to build quality communication with your children.
For instance, discuss the daily activity and acknowledge the children’s opinions. Other characteristics of the RIE Parenting method are:
1. Authentic Communication
RIE Parenting obligates parents to start communicating with their children through authentic voices. What is meant by authentic voices is talking like usual, do not speaking like children’s voices (it can be a little more slowly but use real voices).
In this child raising method, you have to talk about the real topic in a real-world or something that happens at that time. Do not see the children like they know nothing.
See them like a person that can talk, discuss, and joke like other people. Ask a question and give time to see babies’ responses. It can encourage babies’ communication skills.
2. Involve Children In Many Activities
Parents can ask children to do activities that relate to them by themselves, such as eating and bathing. Give them full affection by giving attention.
Children will feel secure because they do things on their own, and know their parents are there to accompany them. That’s what RIE Parenting is.
It can build a strong bond between children and parents because there will much communication in every activity.
3. Respecting Play
It is very important for allowing babies to explore the environment and the object around them on their own.
In RIE Parenting, parents allow babies to control what they choose to play with, and how they choose to play and try not to interfere with their playing. Trust with their unique consideration of learning through playing.
Parents support the growth of mindset by understanding that the process of exploring through playing is more important than the result. It can give time and freedom for babies to let their curiosity take over and get into deep understanding.
4. Trust To Set Them Free While Playing
Trust is an important thing, especially in RIE Parenting. Just let our babies develop motor skills naturally while playing.
Do not teach the baby, for example, to sit up or walk. Parents’ role in providing a natural environment, so the child can explore or move on their terms.
Give trust to the children when they try out new challenges, although when it is difficult do not help them by that time, wait until they do what they can do, then help just a little.
It shows that we believe the children are good at doing something and can solve the problem well.
Allow children to express all their feeling and support them in difficult emotions. For example, when the children fall or feel pain, do not pity them.
But say that they are strong enough to face that pain. It will make children brave to explore many things.
5. The Consistency of What Parents Do
Consistency is the key to RIE parenting. Although this method gives freedom to children what they want, parents still need to make sure that children are doing things at the right time.
Consistence can give security to the environment and communication in children’s daily life. For example, consistency in waking up time, eating time, and bathing. It will make children used to doing things in a good rhythm.
6. Safe Environment
One of the basic principles in conducting RIE parenting is to provide a safe environment for children. The situation around the child must be an environment that is free to be explored. However, as a parent, you still need to supervise.
For example, when your child is playing in the sand outside the house, you must provide supporting toys so that your child is happy.
On the other hand, before starting to play, parents should make sure that the sand is free from threats such as broken glass, sharp objects, harmful insects, etc.
7. Collaboration with Children
One of the best parts of RIE Parenting is that you don’t just teach your child, you also get him to do it himself.
This collaboration facilitates children to learn. In essence, you don’t do everything for your little one, but you do it with your little one and give him a role in it.
Moms become friends with children. Another way to apply the RIE technique is to be a friend to your child, for example, listen to what he has to say.
Be sensitive to his feelings, and be the one who is there to listen and give your child advice when he asks for it. Being friends also means you will often play with your children and enjoy their fun.
Advantages of RIE Parenting
Here are the advantages of RIE parenting:
1. Connected and Acknowledge Children’s Emotions
RIE Parenting means making parents aware of their feeling and triggers. It makes parents try to always understand where the children’s reactions are coming from.
Parents tend to refine their faults about their children and their behaviors. Keep an open-minded and try to refine from judging and labeling the children’s reactions.
2. Makes Children Independent
Children tend to have the opportunity to do things and organize their pace of life. Instead of pointing out what the children should take, the parent will guide the children.
RIE Parenting makes children feel respected from a very young age. It can make children feel responsible for their own lives in the future time.
Because they know that their life is in their hands. No one can always help them to pass the obstacle they face. They should fight for that from a very young age.
3. Nurturing a Healthy Relationship Between Children and Parents
The relationship makes both parents and children enjoy themselves and have a deep connection.
Babies can do what they desire. Parents are not confused to set the game for children. They feel free to explore things.
Parents give full attention to babies by watching and listening to them, which is good for their relationship.
By knowing that someone will listen to their opinion, children will feel more confident to tell what they think.
When they have a hard time, they know that they have a lovable person that will always listen to all their stories, and someday maybe it can make them relieved from all the problems.
4. Makes Children Cooperative
When parents give trust to their children, it will make children cooperative in doing things.
Because of RIE Parenting, they will feel that they should not break their parents’ trust so that they will be more careful in every activity.
Even when their parents are not with them, they will cooperate by not doing things that are not good for them. They will aware of which the good and bad things. It is good when the babies grow.
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Conclusion of RIE Parenting
You have to consider wisely before you implement those concepts with your children. There are some alternative options besides RIE Parenting that you can conduct such as authoritative parenting, Asian parenting style, and many more. Each method has its own pros and cons.
So, that is all the explanation about RIE Parenting examples. It is good to learn by all parents since parenting plays an important role in the children behave in the future.
Hopefully, this information about RIE parenting can give more knowledge to all the readers as a reference to parenting for their children. Choose the best parenting method for the sake of your children.