Just and Gentle Parenting

The public library is a melting pot of parenting styles. Once, as I shuffled my kids into the play area, hidden behind a sea of strollers, nannies, and the occasional grandfather, I overheard two moms sharing recent struggles. The first mother was describing her young daughter’s new sticker chart: “Whenever she listens to me, she gets to put a star in the ‘Listening’ column. The other two categories are ‘Sharing’ and ‘Respect,’ for things like —”The second mother cut in. “But is it really a good