A Nigerian woman has ignited a heated debate on social media after condemning what she calls “poor parenting hiding under the label of gentle parenting.” In a widely shared video, she argued that many parents now use the trendy parenting style as an excuse to avoid correcting their children, leaving strangers to endure disruptive behaviour in public spaces.

She insisted that once a child is old enough to understand basic instructions, parents have a responsibility to teach them how to behave around others. According to her, children should be guided to sit still when necessary, greet elders politely, respect personal boundaries and respond when corrected.

The woman did not mince words, describing some of these children as “untrained” and their parents as inconsiderate. She maintained that if a parent cannot control their child’s behaviour, they should refrain from bringing them to social gatherings, salons, restaurants and other shared spaces where their actions may disturb others.

To illustrate her point, she recounted an incident at a salon where a fellow customer’s child repeatedly reached for her phone. Despite the child’s persistent attempts to touch and play with the device, she claimed the mother simply watched without intervening, leaving her to manage the situation alone. The experience, she said, was both uncomfortable and disrespectful.

In contrast, she praised a two-year-old neighbour as an example of what intentional upbringing can achieve. The toddler, she noted, already greets adults respectfully and even kneels while greeting, a gesture rooted in Nigerian cultural norms. For her, this proves that good manners and respect can and should be taught from an early age, rather than dismissed as expectations that children are “too young” to meet.

Her comments have fuelled an ongoing conversation about the balance between modern parenting philosophies and traditional expectations of discipline and respect. While some viewers agree that “gentle parenting” is being misapplied as permissiveness, others argue that children can be raised kindly without being allowed to inconvenience everyone around them.