This mother’s relaxed “no boundaries” parenting technique may shock you.
“Don’t lie, don’t be offensive, and don’t hurt anyone.”
These are the only rules Gemma and Lewis Rawnsley’s seven children must follow.
Although the children may seem feral upon first look, Gemma says that she is raising her children in a place where they can “enjoy life and make their own choices.”
The seven children do not go to school, nor are they homeschooled.
Skye, 13 years old; Finlay, 12 years old; Phoenix, 9 years old; Pearl, 8 years old; Hunter, 5 years old; Zephyr, 3 years old; and Woolf, 1 year old; learn what they want, when they want.
For example, Phoenix recently began learning how to read at 9 years old, after telling his parents he wanted to. Otherwise, he was under no obligation to learn how to read.
What you might see as a horrible, unsafe decision, Gemma and Lewis see as a thoroughly calculated decision.
If one of the children wants to do something, whether it is to get a tattoo or swing a pickaxe around, the parents let them do it, as long as they can learn something from it. Gemma stated during an interview:
“I make calculated decisions so if something seems dangerous I know it has risk attached, but the benefits are that they learn responsibility.”
The decision to raise their children in this nontraditional way is, in part, because Gemma comes from a violent and loveless home.
Her goal is to raise her children in a home that is full of love and happiness, without any boundaries holding them back from the things they love.
“It’s about letting them make decisions, it’s not a feckless attitude where we sit back and let it all happen. It looks like we’re feral, but that’s just one side of us. Feral is left to your own devices, but these kids are brought up to the nth degree. I didn’t have a stable upbringing. My mission has been about helping my kids have the most interesting, fun, and happy lives in a house filled with the love I never had.”
Gemma, with the support of her husband, Lewis, wants their children to enjoy childhood instead of dealing with the chaos associated with going to school.
If their 8-year-old daughter decides to shave her head, they hand her the clippers to do so. If the children desire ice cream as a midnight snack, the parents happily serve it. According to Mirror, every day in the Rawnsley household is a new adventure with children running the show.
“We just wing it and go with the flow. If the weather is good we sack it off and go out for the day, if it’s raining then it’s a good day to stay in and do stuff. There are no boundaries so the kids get on with life and do what they want.”
Gemma and her husband believe that while a lot of people view their parenting style as “relaxed,” they guide and teach their children better than many traditional parents.
Moreover, the parents constantly receive compliments regarding their children’s behavior and manners.
“We really think about how we bring them up and we get so many compliments about how amazing the kids are. So, it seems a bit wild on the surface, but it works.”
Gemma and her husband believe their parenting method allows their children to learn about the world while still enjoying life as a child.
The last thing they want is for their children to grow up too fast.
Hear more about their unique parenting perspective in the video below!
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