Lighthouse parenting, gentle parenting, snowplough parenting, helicopter parenting, and free-range parenting are just a few examples of parenting trends that have done the rounds in recent years. Yet, when I looked into the Fafo parenting approach, it seems beneath the provocative language lies an idea that is not new at all. At its best, Fafo parenting is less about indifference and more about parental restraint. In terms of making a young person accountable, Fafo parenting resembles authoritative parenting, a style consistently linked to the best long-term outcomes for children. Fafo parenting is often presented as a reaction against the popularity of ‘gentle parenting’, which is caricatured as permissive, indulgent, or chaotic.

Source: Irish Examiner February 10, 2026 15:30 UTC