The Unexpected Benefits of Lazy Parenting!

I recently read an article in the March Wondertime magazine that has really made me feel alot better about myself as a mother. The title of the article was "The Unexpected Benefits of Lazy Parenting." I liked it so much that I have to tell you more about it.

The article is hilarious. This mother talks about how she tries NOT to knock herself out when it comes to parenting. For example, she talks about how she forgot the cupcake ritual at her son's school when it was his birthday. So, she stopped at the 7-11 and picked up some mini blueberry muffins instead. This has significance in my own life, if you read my post about Daniel's birthday party at his school. Also, she says that she finds it exhausting to arrange playdates--the calling, the messages, the picking up and dropping off. So, she doesn't do it. I feel the same way. The unintended benefit of this, she says, is that her sons have had to make do with each other as playmates--thereby becoming best friends. I've seen this happen with Daniel and Andrew and I totally agree.

She also talks about how she has little interest in cooking, so in an effort to keep her kids healthy, she has turned to the "raw food diet." She doesn't hem her son's pants, she staples them. And she hates making beds, since they'll just be unmade again. The article goes on, but you get the point.

You may be thinking, so what's so great about this mom? She just sounds lazy and selfish. Maybe she is a little, but that is okay! What I liked most was the point she made at the end of the article. She said, "Your devotion to your own well-being (and I'd like to add, marriage) may benefit your children more than you know. It could be making you a happier, saner mother. You could be doing your kids a favor by giving them a chance to develop a solid sense of independence. In fact, you could even consider your laissez-faire approach an act of faith in your kids and their ability to figure things out for themselves."

I'm not endorsing putting your kids in front of the TV all the time, feeding them junk food three meals a day, and not teaching them and reading to them. The point is to lighten up, kick your feet up when you need a moment, and not be so hard on yourself. Kids are resilient and can do alot for themselves when we step back and let them try.