NEW RELEASE: The Idle Parent

Parenthood today is a whole different ball of wax than when our parents raised us.From the virtual war one has to wage to get your kid into a good preschool, to keeping their dance card full to the brim with “play dates” and other “enrichment” activities, it can be a lot of work. It’s no surprise that many parents end up feeling exhausted, resentful, and often depressed. But what if, instead of revolving around our children like planets in orbit, we decided to take a more laid-back approach to the whole enterprise?

In this wry and liberating new book, The Idle Parent: Why Laid-Back Parents Raise Happier and Healthier Kids, journalist and parenting columnist Tom Hodgkinson claims that the “helicopter” style of parenting currently en vogue actually does more harm to our children than good. Not only does it exhaust and frustrate the parent, but it prevents the child from becoming a self-sufficient, confident, and empowered adult. Rather, Hodgkinson suggests that if parents let kids be, they will learn how to be resourceful, creative, and independent. Among the suggestions he provides to the fatigued and fed-up parent are:

• Get children involved in housework. And make it fun. You get the job done faster, and they learn that work doesn’t have to be suffering.
• Just say “no.” And avoid situations that will lead to whining. It is not an act of unkindness to deny your child’s every whim.
• Gather with other parents and kids. The kids will entertain each other, and you get the adult interaction and relaxation you need.
• Resist the demand to go to expensive theme parks and children’s shows during your time off. Staying home gives you the rest you need, saves money, and helps children discover their own inner resources
• Do what makes you happy. The best quality a parent can offer his or her child is their own personal happiness, contentment, and independence.

Drawing on his own experience as a parent of three, Hodgkinson helps readers learn how to foster an environment where children can grow up confident and happy and where parents can become responsibly lazy. A wise, devilishly funny, and wholly practical approach to childcare, The Idle Parent teaches parents how to leave kids alone, and in turn become better (and happier!) parents.