Perhaps as a backlash to the micromanaged, overscheduled children of the past 10 years, many writers are sharing a new trend in parenting-- with many names, all entertaining, such as "idle"; "free-range" or "slow" parenting. Oh, yeah, do I like the sound of that.
According to this article Let the Kid Be from the New York Times, more and more parents are refusing to overschedule, hover, and worry about every move their child makes. You've probably read their blogs, late at night, when you are worrying about something, and they made you feel better. It's a bit like watching the Nanny show when you think your kids are poorly behaved, because by god, they are never that bad.
The truth of it is we all like to read about moms who admit moments of unglory and tedium in parenting. It makes us all feel normal, in the widely emotional journey of parenting, where extremes are the norm.
If this trend is a bounce away from the last generation, or a response to the economy is not clear. I think it's always been there, this reality of imperfection and toil, it's just that blogging has given many a new voice.
But back to the idea of doing less. I've often pondered all the things I could be doing with my children: music lessons, gymnastics lessons, violin lessons, soccer-- you name it. I see my friends doing some of these things with their kids and I wonder if I should too. And then we play for hours in the yard, or imaginary story lines take place all over my house on a rainy day. My gut says chill out. Life is short, and as soon as they start school, the pace will be forever altered. So live it now. Why do I sometime feel like I have to do something with them every second? The research is with the "chill" parenting style: wide swaths of creative play produce higher functioning, happier kids. Not that you need to worry about that: just pull up a lawn care, chill out and watch.
Katy can be found at Non-Toxic Kids sharing helpful information about how to raise kids as naturally as possible. She is a teacher, freelance writer, and mama from the mountains of Vermont.
Anna Clark says:
I'm all about chilling out. I have a 2 and a 4 year old. I'm also a writer and consultant. When I'm with my kids, I want to relax and so do they. I remember doing a lot of fun activities as a kid with my mom and sister when we were growing up, but I disliked scheduled or organized group activities. I kept to myself and did my own thing as a child, but I still turned out okay. Some might even say I have a great deal of imagination, as least my book editor must think so! So many people who run around to all these activities are frazzled and tired and don't have time for creative pursuits. The irony is they risk rearing kids with the same issues. I used to worry that I wasn't doing it right, but now I realize that most of those people are just following the herd. I've never been one of those people, so why start now?