The Evolution of Parenting
From “Go Play Outside” to “Let’s Talk About Big Feelings” (While You Pee on Me)
If you're currently parenting a child between the ages of 0 and 5, congratulations—you are officially surviving the most beautiful, chaotic, booger-filled years of your life. But have you ever stopped mid-diaper blowout and thought, "Wait… didn’t our parents just let us eat dirt and figure things out?" You’re not wrong.
Parenting has evolved. And by “evolved,” we mean: it used to be about keeping kids alive… now it’s about keeping them alive while also ensuring they’re emotionally validated, screen-balanced, and getting omega-3s before preschool.
Let’s take a walk down memory lane (while stepping over Legos) and see how we got here.
🧓 Back in Their Day: Just Survive, Baby
Our grandparents’ idea of parenting:
Fed? ✅
Dressed (ish)? ✅
Not setting the house on fire? ✅
There were no toddler sensory bins or gentle redirections. You climbed a tree, fell out, cried a bit, and went right back up. Tantrums? That was called “talking back” and was swiftly handled with a look that could stop your soul in its tracks.
📺 Then Came the '80s and '90s: Helicopters, Happy Meals, and Hysteria
Parenting got a little softer, but not by much. There were snacks (hello, cheese balls in giant barrels), and we started hearing things like, “Use your words.” But also: “Walk it off.”
Mums read Parenting Magazine in the waiting room while you got your third ear infection of the month. Dad’s installed car seats with the force of a thousand suns… and no YouTube tutorial.
🤯 Now: Welcome to Conscious, Mindful, Oh-So-Tired Parenting
Enter you—the modern parent of tiny humans. You read the blogs, listen to the podcasts, follow the gentle-parenting influencers who somehow have white couches and toddlers. (How? HOW?)
You don’t yell (out loud). You offer choices. You narrate feelings like a Disney voiceover artist:
“I see you’re upset because your toast broke in half. That’s so hard. I’m here for you.”
Meanwhile, you haven’t peed alone in four years and your coffee has been microwaved three times this morning, and some mornings you find it at teatime.
🤹♀️ Today’s Parent Must Be:
A nutritionist (but also chill about snacks)
A screen-time wizard
A trauma-informed conflict mediator
A preschool-level chef who can make dinosaur-shaped sandwiches
Oh, and someone who somehow also works, cleans, hydrates, stretches, and remembers it’s library day
🍼 So, Where Are We Headed?
Good question. Parenting keeps evolving—and we’re here for it. More dads are doing the drop-offs. More mums are saying “no” to martyrdom. We're breaking cycles, validating feelings, and maybe (maybe) getting a second to scroll TikTok while the toddler plays with a cardboard box.
We may not know what the future holds, but one thing’s for sure: no matter the era, toddlers will always refuse the dinner you made and ask for snacks at bedtime.
My Final Thought:
You’re doing great. You’re parenting in the most extra time in history—and still showing up with love, laughter, and emergency Goldfish crackers in your bag. That’s evolution, baby (no pun intended).
Want to chat something out with me? Click to book and I will see you in zoom
