Manifesto of the idle parent
We reject the idea that parenting requires hard work We pledge to leave our children alone That should mean that they leave us alone, too We reject the rampant consumerism that invades children from the moment they are born We read them poetry and fantastic stories without morals We drink alcohol without guilt We reject the inner Puritan We fill the house with music and laughter We don’t waste money on family days out and holidays We lie in bed for as long as possible We try not to interfere We push them into the garden and shut the door so that we can clean the house We both work as little as possible, particularly when the kids are small Time is more important than money Happy mess is better than miserable tidiness Down with school We fill the house with music and merriment
How “idle” is your parenting? There are a few things on the list that don’t apply at our house — I don’t drink, I don’t have a “garden” and I’m not sure what they mean about rejecting the “inner Puritan.” Nevertheless, I love this manifesto. It’s at the end of a Telegraph column titled “Idle Parenting Means Happy Children.” This isn’t the first piece I’ve read lately about the importance of unstructured play, but it is the first I’ve seen that mentions the benefits to the parents. (I love the photos of Mom and Dad reading amidst the chaos.)