A mum said her secrets to being a better parent are never using "baby talk" and always letting them sleep in her room "even when they are 25".<br /><br />Kail Britt, 30, said she didn't always practice gentle parenting, especially after having her first son Will, now 13, when she was just 17.<br /><br />But she ditched "following other people’s narratives of parenting" and embraced her own style when parenting Will, Dallas, nine, Aiyanna, six, and Archie, two.<br /><br />She said she refuses to use ‘baby talk’ - instead treating them as “humans”.<br /><br />She won’t force her kids to hug or talk to others and lets them take a day off school for a mental health day if they need it.<br /><br />The stay-at-home mum also keeps a bed in her room for her children to sleep in if they want to and says it will still be there for them when they are adults.<br /><br />Kail, a content creator and social media marketer, from Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada, said: “I don’t do baby talk.”<br /><br />“I talk to them as regular humans and talk about deeper feelings with them.<br /><br />“I still talk to them age appropriately but I find baby talk a bit condescending.<br /><br />“I guide them, I don’t control them.<br /><br />“I used to plan their outfits but now they wear what they want.<br /><br />“I let them have mental health days but they don’t misuse them.<br /><br />“They can take day off without faking a fever – I’ll just check they are up to date with work and don’t have a test that day.<br /><br />“By being a gentle parent I let my kids be proud of themselves.”<br /><br />Kail said she didn’t always follow a gentle or respectful approach to parenting.<br /><br />She said: “I used to follow other people's narratives of parenting.<br /><br />“Now I’ve been a gentle parenting for a couple of years.<br /><br />“There is no such thing as a perfect parent but I’m the best I can be.”<br /><br />Kail says she will always apologise to her kids if she feels she does something wrong and will give herself a time out if she needs it.<br /><br />She said: “I will apologise to them to show adults make mistakes too.<br /><br />“I have grown up time outs where I will go to the bathroom and take a breather.<br /><br />“I have affirmations in there I will repeat to myself.<br /><br />“With my kids we do ‘time ins’ so once the emotions have calmed down we will sit down together and talk about what happened.”<br /><br />Kail will never force her kids to do something they don’t want to.<br /><br />She said: “I won’t make them hug or talk to someone if they feel uncomfortable.<br /><br />“I don’t make them go to a family event if they don’t want to.”<br /><br />Kail will also do affirmations with her children every night.<br /><br />“I tell them they are strong and beautiful and kind,” she said.<br /><br />Kail is also happy for her children to co-sleep with her if they want – and now has a separate bed set up in her bedroom if they want to use it.<br /><br />“They have the option of co-sleeping,” she said.<br /><br />“But a lot of the time they love going to their own beds.<br /><br />“The bed will always be available for them – even when they are 25.<br /><br />“It’s a safe space.”<br /><br />Kail also lets her daughter Aiyanna make her own breakfast and lunch in her own Ikea kitchen – and says she loves the independence. <br /><br />She said: “I didn’t believe I was a good mother for a long time.<br /><br />“Now I believe I am.<br /><br />“But there’s always room for improvement.<br /><br />“My children are loved and feel safe and they know their worth.”<br /><br />Things Kail does as a gentle parent <br />- Lets her kids take mental health days<br />- Doesn’t force them to do something they don’t want to<br />- Lets them co-sleep with her if they want to<br />- Repeats affirmations to them each night<br />- Lets them dress how they want<br />- Refuses to use ‘baby talk’<br />- Gives herself ‘grown up time outs’<br />- Doesn’t use ‘time out’ with her kids and instead has ‘time ins’ to talk about situations
