Feeling torn between being the “nice” parent and the one who actually gets stuff done? If you’re exhausted from negotiating bedtime like a hostage situation but still want a real connection with your kid, explore whether a little fear (or at least respect) might actually help. Drawing wisdom from Machiavelli and personal experience, check out how parenting has evolved, where it’s gone off the rails, and what might work better for your own tiny kingdom.

Gentle parenting had good intentions, but is it holding up in real life? Enter FAFO parenting: part natural consequence, part parental survival instinct. What happens when you stop explaining and start letting kids find out for themselves? This article explores the evolution of parenting from the ’80s to now, and what today’s parents are doing when gentle just isn’t enough.