Parental Guidance’s American Parents Kim and Nick will be put into the Spotlight alongside the remaining parenting styles; Slow Parents, Unstructured Parents and Road School Parents.
Up to this point, they have been in the Lounge providing feedback for the other parents which American mum, Kim, said has helped them “look critically at how we parent”.
“[The experience] has helped us add a few new tools to our parenting toolbox,” she said in an interview with Chattr before their first Spotlight episode that airs on June 18 at 8pm.
American Parenting vs Aussie Parenting — What are the main differences?
The American parenting style focuses on confidence and success; with key other components differing from how a child is raised Down Under.
“Growing up in the US generally makes for a resilient child who sees a lot of different things and generally has a lot of different experiences,” Kim said adding that children in the United States have more opportunities for regular outdoor activities including snowboarding, cross country skiing, waterskiing, hiking the Grand Canyon, camping, skateboarding, surfing, bungee jumping.
“The list goes on depending on the child,” she said. “Those are all real typical and average activities that many American kids partake in.”
Although available in Australia, it is less likely that every kid gets the same opportunities; with Kim saying that given “Australia is a very family-orientated country”, our schools here offer “amazing things” such as music, sport, and swimming.
On top of this, she also noted that the country as a whole can sometimes feel like a “little country town compared to America”.
“It feels safe and more relaxed, in a good way,” she said.
What was it like growing up in the USA?
Kim also revealed that while she had a “super relaxed, California Style” upbringing, her husband Nick had strict parents and he spent most of his time playing tennis.
“My parents were super relaxed,” she said. “I was the third child and the baby and there was not a lot of guidance, hence my sincere desire to help provide guidance to our children.”
As adults, however, their values and morals align.
“We like to think that no matter what we have been through or will go through, our underlying respect and admiration for each other holds strong,” she said.
“We are similar in some ways i.e.: competitive, hard-working and enjoy a romantic night out, but we are also opposites in some regards. Ultimately, we love, respect and are always there for one another.”
Overall, the experience of Parental Guidance has been very valuable.
“I had so many mums say to me, ‘You’re brave for going on the show and putting it all out there for everyone to judge,'” she admitted.
“It struck me as very odd, but maybe that’s just my American confidence speaking. I know I’m/we’re not perfect – not at all, but being on this show has taught us so much about parenting, other people, and ourselves. Nick and I are risk-takers. No risk – no reward, sometimes you’ve just got to put yourself out there!”
Parental Guidance airs Sunday at 8pm and Monday and Tuesday at 7.30pm on 9 and 9Now.
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