The Idle Parent
Alain De Botton has called The Idle Parent the “most helpful and consoling child-raising manual I’ve yet read”, and the Sunday Times called it a “godsend to parents”. In the book, Tom Hodgkinson argues that kids and adults alike need to play more and work less. We put far too much effort into parenting. If we leave our kids alone, they will become more self-reliant and we’ll be able to lie in bed for longer.
Oliver James said: “Wise, funny, practical and personal, The Idle Parent puts the fun back into parenting,” while Jay Griffiths commented: “The sort of book which any self-respecting child would wish their parents had read. Gently comedic on the surface, it is a book about serious freedom underneath. Profoundly sane, kind and endearing, it is written with a huge generosity of spirit as an act of family-liberation.”
On this website we hope to gather together useful information and brain food for idle parents everywhere, all intended to help on the journey to liberation. Down the left hand side, you’ll find an archive of Tom’s Idle Parent columns written for the Daily Telegraph. Each has a comments section: please keep any comments brief and practical and refrain from criticising other people. Idle Parents are always courteous.
There’s a discussion forum covering the various issues that interest idle parents, from anti-consumerism, to what books to read, to tips on thrift. Again, when contributing to the forum, please avoid jokes and criticism of others, and try to keep the posts short and to the point. Longer letters can be sent by snail mail to The Idler, PO Box 280, BARNSTAPLE EX31 4QT UK, and we’ll select the best for publication.
We have also started a gallery where we’ll show images of idle parents, from George Orwell to Homer Simpson.
Plus there’s a links section which will connect the idle parent to relevant organisations.
We reject the idea that parenting requires hard work
We pledge to leave our children alone
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 don’t waste money on family days out and holidays
An idle parent is a thrifty parent
An idle parent is a creative parent
We lie in bed for as long as possible
We try not to interfere
We play in the fields and forests
We push them into the garden and shut the door so 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
We reject health and safety guidelines
We embrace responsibility
There are many paths
More play, less work
Idle Parenting Discussion
Games We Invented
Idle Parent Gallery
Things to do without leaving the house
Favourite kids’ books
Favourite books about parenting
Miscellaneous tips
Money saving tips
