Family, Kids & Relationships

Viral Twitter thread turns traditional parenting advice on its head

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A recent viral thread about parenting choices has been making the rounds on Twitter. The original Tweet, by Rae Hoffman Jager, asked parents to share one thing they do that goes against traditional parenting advice or societal norms, and parents had lots to share in response. 

Jager’s own example was cosleeping, which lots of commenters agreed was generally a harshly judged parenting choice in our society — but that it works well for their own families. As lots of other parents started chiming in, Jager shared her enthusiasm for the large quantity and variety of responses. “I am absolutely loving reading all these. An important reminder to those going through this thread, reserve judgment. No one is inviting or asking for opinions on birthing, feeding, and screen time choices. We are all just sharing, and that’s what’s so beautiful about Twitter.”

Some other popular comments included this one from Anna Gazmarian about formula feeding, which was a common topic in the thread.

Commenter Kelsey Francis racked up hundreds of likes on her response about rejecting the pressure to sign her kids up for lots of extracurricular activities.

Another super popular comment was this one about prioritizing kids’ mental health over their school attendance.

There were lots of comments like this one about refusing to make mealtimes into daily battles, and tons of parents agreed that it’s not worth the conflict!

Jager’s thread created a judgment-free space that brought together parents from all walks of life to share their stories of making tough parenting decisions that have improved their families’ lives. Going against the grain of traditional parenting advice and societal norms can be intimidating — but these parents have found ways to create safe and loving environments for their families by taking what works for them from modern parenting norms, and leaving behind what doesn’t.

Mckenna Saady is a staff writer and digital content lead for ParentsTogether. Before working for nonprofits such as the Human Rights Campaign and United Way, Mckenna spent nearly a decade as a child care provider and Pre-K teacher. Originally from Richmond, VA, she now lives in Philadelphia and writes poetry, fiction, and children’s literature in her spare time.