There are no right answers. When I try to stop my toddler from upsetting other kids in the playground, the grassroots residents of my gentrifying neighborhood tell me to relax, he’s just a kid, while parents with a similar background to my own, college-educated and well-traveled tend to be way more uptight. However, these same parents don’t raise their voices or shout, even when something dangerous is about to happen. I often wonder how they keep themselves and their toddlers so “calm”. Honestly, there can be just as much repression in the more gentle and modern methods of parenting than with old-school harsh reprimanding. The key is when and how. Happy kids are raised in many many different types of families no doubt. But these mommy groups, ugh! I’d rather hang out at a playground, chat to people who are really different from me and learn from them rather than try to blend in with the formulaic neo-parenting types.