A mum-of-two has shared her controversial parenting tips – including teaching self-defence to ensure her children aren’t bullied.
Jaiden George, a stay-at-home mum, says she isn’t afraid to teach her two boys to ‘hit back’, having her sons learn to defend themselves.
Earning herself a name for her strong opinions, she also doesn’t allow sleepovers, won’t force them to eat their veggies and has the whole family sleep in one room.
Mum to boys, aged five and 12 months, she’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, sharing her views with her 2,000 followers on TikTok (@momma_jbg).
“I don’t regret my decision in what I have taught my son,” the 25-year-old, from the US, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
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“People think there are other ways to handle bullies, such as telling an adult or walking away.
“But the thing with bullies is that they don’t go away.
“They find their target and are set on it, they will keep coming back if you do not defend yourself.
“Growing up, nobody ever taught me that I could defend myself physically or verbally and a lot of the time I would just stand there.”
Her son, five, was diagnosed with ADHD and autism, with Jaiden believing the need for self-defence is even more crucial.
She said: “In our case, my five-year-old has ADHD and autism and with that diagnosis, there is even a higher likelihood of being the victim of
“Not only will teaching him self-defence for bullies be beneficial but also later in life if he ever needed to use self-defence he would be prepared on how to react.
“I think there are some parents out there that believe physical altercation is prohibited, but honestly their kids are probably the so-called bullies.”
Jaiden shared some other parenting no-nos – including not allowing sleepovers and not forcing her boys to clear their dinner plates.
She said: “People tend to think if you don’t allow your child to be a child and do things a child does, you’re being a helicopter parent or restricting them from experiences.
“Some people believe that you should force your children to sit and eat no matter what you have cooked them.
“I would rather make another small meal for him than give him a lifetime’s worth of trauma by yelling and forcing.
“I won’t let my kids have sleepovers as you need to worry about the parents, the siblings, or absolutely anyone who might come into that home that you have no idea about.
“I will not allow my children to be exposed to that as we do not have those same morals in our household.
The final thing that she dished the dirt on is her family’s sleeping arrangements.
She believes that the whole family achieves a better night’s kip together.
She said: “As newborns, I always had such bad anxiety for their safety when not next to me.
“My babies and also myself have always gotten a better night’s sleep when co-sleeping,
“I also breastfeed so having my baby so close was just that much more convenient when it comes to overnight feedings.
“A lot of people think that co-sleeping is unsafe for a lot of reasons.
“I use the safe sleep seven, which is guidelines to safely sleep with newborns/younger children.
“My 5-year-old will sleep in his own bed, from time to time, but always ends up in our bed by the end of the night. “
Jaiden believes many people have the same views when it comes to teaching their kids self-defence.
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