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.)