Kate Middleton's secret to parenting
Being a royal sure has its perks, but that doesn't spare the Duchess of Cambridge of her role as a parent. Kate Middleton, who is a member of the British Royal Family and a mother of two, is known for her sweet and sensitive parenting style and is an inspiration to all mothers. From disciplining her children to handling their temper tantrums like a pro, there are a lot of things that her royal highness gets right!
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Temper tantrums are a 'hard one'
Handling temper tantrums is not a piece of cake. And the Duchess acknowledges that fact.
During a Q & A session hosted by the Duchess, she was asked: "how do you manage temper tantrums in your household."
To which, Kate responds: "Yes, that's a hard one." "I'd also like to ask the experts myself," she adds and laughs about the same.
However, what fascinates most people is how the Duchess handles such situations with utmost calm and grace.
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Head taps to go and other gestures to note
Hand gestures and body movements have been one of the ways experts interpret the royal language.
At one instance at Pippa Middleton’s wedding in 2017, Prince George was seen acting a bit cheeky and out of his element. It is then when Kate softly touched him on the head as a way of telling him to behave.
Similarly, during the Queen's Jubilee celebration, Prince Louis' antics caught everyone's attention.
"From hugging Louis as he grew restless, to smiling energetically at the youngster—who was clearly loving the attention—as he performed alongside her, it was clearly important for Kate to engage with her children, especially as it would have been a very long day for them," Body language expert Darren Stanton tells Marie Claire on behalf of Slingo.
"At times, we saw Louis grow irritable and while him playing up made for some very comical photos, Kate—and William too—were on hand to ensure their brood [behaved]," she adds.
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The Duchess has her own code words
According to The Sun, Kate Middleton uses a simple code word to calm her kids down and that is "Let's take a break".
As and when she says or signals it's time for a break, children automatically know that they need to calm down. It is a way to tell them that they're acting up and need to start behaving.
This then is followed by silent activities which include reading, solving puzzles and more. It is believed that both Kate and William use this technique in private and public premises.
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She talks to the kids at their eye level
On many occasions, we have noticed the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge crouching down to speak to their kids at their eye level.
According to Dr Rebecca Chicot, founder of Essential Parent and the author of the Calm and Happy Toddler, “She gets down to their level to talk to them but let’s them be children," as reported by Fabulous.
“She has a lovely balance of sensitivity and gentle boundaries. She doesn’t expect them to behave like little adults and knows that children go through perfectly natural stages like tantrums,” she adds.
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Kate is always calm in the face of a chaos
What's worth recognizing is Kate's calm and sensitive response to her kids in times of crisis.
She does not publicly yell at them, rather finds ways to discipline them. As discussed, head taps, finger gestures and code words are some of the ways she disciplines her kids.
Furthermore, she does not stop her kids from being silly. She lets them be themselves, when it's necessary.
In one of the sweetest videos, Kate encourages her daughter Princess Charlotte to wave at onlookers in Cowes, Isle of Wight. However, the Princess has other plans and chooses to take her tongue out.
Rather than reprimanding her, Kate bursts out into laughter like many of the public.
“Just a normal child! You can’t control their every move. Kate's response was fantastic!” read one response to the video, as reported by The Sun.
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Experts believe she follows a authoritative style of parenting
Dr Rebecca Chicot tells Fabulous, “Kate is a sensitive and warm mum."
"This is called an authoritative style of parenting that is now encouraged," she adds.
In simple terms, authoritative parenting is a parenting style, in which parents are nurturing, responsive, and supportive, yet they do set boundaries and rules. They work towards disciplining
kids with the help of certain rules, reason and discussion.
"This is compared to an autocratic parenting that was encouraged in some circles in Victorian times (e.g. children should be seen and not heard)," says the doctor.
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