A mum of-of-two has been warned her children will ‘grow up hating her’ because of her strict parenting regime.
Danielle Hannah Alexander, 32, lets her children go hungry if they refuse to eat dinner and forbids them from having fizzy drinks or inviting friends over on school nights.
She and husband Jamie, 30, from Monmouth, South Wales, have brushed off criticism of their parenting style, which they say makes their young ones more ‘respectful’.
College health and social care lecturer Danielle says people often accuse her of not letting ‘kids be kids’ and that son Jody, five, and daughter Jade, three, would go on to hate or resent her.
She told MailOnline: ‘The worse thing that someone once said was that the children were sad because I was strict on them. This is totally untrue.
‘My children are the happiest, most loving children and I am so proud of them now and for the people they are becoming.
‘I am fully aware that children need to be spontaneous and free spirited, but when you work full-time, have two small children to raise and a house to maintain, rules are a must.’
Danielle insists all food is eaten at the kitchen table and that meals must contain at least one portion of fruit and vegetables.
She says Jody and Jade have to finish them before they leave the table and ‘it’s hungry tummies’ if they kick up a fuss or demand an alternative.
Danielle limits sauces and condiments because of ‘the amount of hidden salt and sugar’ and gives her children packed lunches to take to school so she can ‘monitor what they have eaten’.
The only drinks they are allowed is water and sugar free squash and fizzy drinks are strictly off the menu.
Danielle, who calls herself a ‘very structured and controlled person’, says the family routine would be too badly impacted if friends came to visit on school nights.
As she and self-employed builder Jamie work full time, they stress the importance of spending as much time as possible with them.
But if children are out playing in the street, they will be allowed to join them before being called back for dinner.
According to Danielle, there have been occasions where certain friends have come over and ‘destroyed her house’ and ‘broke her children’s toys’ without their parents stepping in.
She says other mums and dads often have a problem with her house-rules because they ‘do not discipline their own children’.
Her children follow a strict bed rime routine which took ‘months to perfect’, which sees them tucked in by 7.45pm and asleep by 8pm.
Danielle insists she only wants to give her young ones ‘the best possible start in life’ and says they ‘would not be the people they are today’ if she was more laid back.
In a bid to get them to understand the value of money, Danielle says Jody and Jade are told to do a small amount of housework to earn their keep.
She added: ‘They thrive on routine and love that I always have things for them to do.’
Danielle was raised in a pub by her parents, who let her stay up late and join in with adult conversations, but she still knew ‘there would be consequences’ if she skipped out on chores or broke house rules.
The Alexander’s don’t believe in smacking, instead opting to send their children to the ‘thinking step’ if they misbehave.
Danielle will give them a ‘count to three’ to follow her orders and also encourages good behaviour with her penny stack method.
She starts her children off with an equal number of coins every day and moves a penny into the ‘good section’ to reward their behaviour – taking one away if they do something naughty.
At the end of the day she will take them to the shop to spend their hard earned money on a treat.
Jody and Jade are encouraged to read, write, and colour in every night and are given stickers as rewards to incentivise them to get through their books throughout the summer holidays.
Their parents try to get them doing plenty of team-based sports to build their interpersonal skills and the family go on regular bike rides, walks and swims together.
During her 10 years as a teacher, Danielle says she is noticed a ‘dramatic change’ in the behaviour of the children she works with.
She puts this down to ‘no discipline at home’ and a lack of ‘consequences for inappropriate and poor choices’.
A recent study on parenting by MyNametags found parents in the UK are the strictest in Europe, who consider respect to be the most important trait for children to have.
