Beyoncé’s Gentle Parenting Style Takes Center Stage in ‘Renaissance’ and Latina Moms Can Relate
Celebrity children lead very different lives than those of non-celebrities. For one, from childhood, they are exposed to paparazzi, criticism, and even kidnapping. On the other hand, they also benefit from much of their parents’ success. Insert the term “nepo-baby.”
Blue Ivy Carter, daughter to Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z, knows a thing or two about being born into celebrity royalty. At 11 years old, she’s already joined her mother as a backup dancer on her infamous “Renaissance” tour.
Blue’s dance moves certainly got the attention of audiences worldwide. However, a recent scene from Queen Bey’s concert film “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” captivated parents because of how the artist disciplines her daughter. The film documents every detail of the world tour, but most notably, Blue’s input on the show and the pieces performed.
And while Beyoncé was glad to consider her daughter’s opinions, a scene shows her use of gentle parenting.
The scene shows how Beyoncé calmly addresses Blue Ivy while taking her emotions into account
While many of us may have grown up with the “chancla” and “los niños no hablan sin permiso,” Beyoncé is taking a different approach to parenting. One many mothers are lauding.
In “Renaissance,” a scene shows the songstress discussing the setlist of her concert. Someone from her team suggests shortening the show by removing “Diva.” But Blue Ivy was not on board with this.
Groaning, she says, “No, please, please… I’m telling you, you can’t take away those songs.”
Calmly, Bey turns to her daughter, asking her to “take it down.” Adding, “I appreciate your opinion, but you gotta calm down. You don’t cut people [off.]”
Eventually, “Diva” made it to the concert, but the parenting lesson was there, nonetheless.
As one X user stated, “This is precisely gentle parenting. Holding the space but correcting the action.”
Another chimed, “Beyoncé is doing what I imagine actual gentle parenting to be; we love seeing it.”
Latino parents are also using gentle parenting as an alternative approach to discipline
In Latino culture, discipline is often synonymous with fear. Children often lie, hide things from their parents, and fear how they will react, creating deep disconnections in communication. But is gentle parenting an option for Latinos? If so, how can we implement it?
As explained by Latina Moms, “Gentle parenting is more focused on your relationship with your children rather than focusing on harsh punishments whenever they misbehave.”
“It targets setting boundaries with your children and respecting them as individuals instead of using external rewards or discipline to modify their behavior,” they continue.
Parenting coach Marcela Collier explains how gentle parenting for new generations of Latinos can often be difficult because of family criticism. In a video speaking with her grandmother, she’s told you have to scream at children for them to listen. She challenges that idea by asking her grandmother if she ever had a favorite teacher in school. She then asked if that teacher yelled at them.
After her grandmother says no, she points out that it’s unnecessary to yell at children for them to listen.
Cuban-American Clinical Psychologist Erika Velez goes deeper into gentle parenting and why Latinos may sway away from it. Giving parents an approach they can get on board with.
“When we hear things like ‘gentle parenting,’ we might say this is ‘not for us,'” she says. “All you need to remember from gentle parenting is that we want to change generational narratives.”
She continues, “The North Star should be ‘do no harm,’ don’t treat them in ways you wouldn’t treat a close friend. While yes, [Latinos] are loud, there is a difference between yelling loudly and screaming at our children.
“If you can change that in this generation, you will pass down the baton further along in this idea of parenting in a healthier way that hopefully doesn’t inflict trauma or pain for children in our community.”
