I was flipping through a magazine when I caught the blur out of the corner of my eye. It was my daughter, 10, running through the front lawn with her friends. I smiled as I realized I had just practiced a lazy way to be a better mom: I did nothing.
That’s right. When my daughter claimed she was bored five minutes ago, I refused to entertain her. She could do something about it, after all.
And so she did.
I know other lazy ways to be a better parent, too. Because who has time to read countless articles and books on being a better parent and incorporate their highfalutin action items amidst laundry, homework, extracurricular activities, work, passion projects, birthday parties and more?
These 10 lazy ways to be a better parent require no more effort than reading this article and realizing that 1) you are already doing these, 2) you can easily do these, or 3) you will never do all of these at once – and that’s okay.
Ready to be lazy? Here we go:
- Laugh with your kids. It’s easy, free and enjoyable. Even if you just laugh at stupid poop jokes, like my family does, laughing releases endorphins and gives you a subtle rush.
- Sleep on it. With apologies to anyone in the newborn phase, moms of older kids can go to bed earlier, get up later, or take a short nap on the couch for 15 minutes while the kids watch TV or YouTube. (I tried that last suggestion myself. Thumbs up!) You’ll feel recharged and happier with a bit more shut-eye.
- Say “I love you.” Never mind if your daughter replies with “Great”. (True story.) No matter how often you say this phrase, just say it. Your kids, and their hearts, will blossom when they hear those three little words.
- Listen. Once my daughter spent 20 minutes replaying every mundane moment of the dream she had the night before. I spent 20 minutes nodding and saying, “Uh huh” while drinking coffee and watching the news. It worked for both of us.
- Hug your kids. I like to grab my teenager and give him a squeeze. He protests, but I think he likes it. Physical touch prevents illness and creates a tangible bond. Chances are, your kids will hug you back.
- As I said before, do nothing. Let them be bored and figure out for themselves how to live with that or change that.
- Be yourself. Show them that you are not perfect and that everyone has flaws as well as awesomeness. I like to think I’m celebrating my imperfections when I sing the wrong lyrics to pretty much every song on the radio, with my kids in the car of course.
- Stay hydrated. You’ll feel more contented if you’ve been drinking enough. Of course I mean water. Mostly. But that’s not to say that my teenager and I don’t swing by the drive-thru every so often to indulge in a large soda pop. Sure, there’s no nutritional value, blah blah blah. However, it makes me happy, my teenager loves it, and my thirst is quenched.
- Don’t compare your kids. To each other, to their friends, or to you. When my husband tells our son that he used to do X, Y, and Z to be a better hockey player in high school, I can see my son’s eyes glazing over. There will always be someone who is faster, stronger, tougher, cuter (thanks, Heidi Klum), smarter, etc.
- Let them fail. It takes effort to intervene and fix things for them. When my daughter tried to build a sidecar for her stuffed animals on her scooter, I knew it wouldn’t work. However, she needed to see for herself that 23 stuffed animals in a shoebox taped to her handlebars wouldn’t cut it. She reaped the benefits of resilience and perseverance from her failure and redesigned a kick-ass sidecar that held one stuffed animal, not 23.
There you have it, 10 lazy ways to be a better parent. Whether you can squeeze one or all of them into your day, you’ll be a better and happier mom for it.
This post was originally published on Parent.co.
Definitely agree with drinking more water! I feel like a monster if I am stuck at home with a ratty toddler and have a dehydrated headache! #globalblogging
Rhian Harris recently posted…24 things only my 90s teenager will know
Ugh, yes! And see, drinking more water is an easy, lazy way to just be a better mom/mum.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…10 Lazy Ways to Be a Better Parent
I do most of these. I will add, don’t over schedule activities for the kids. It stresses them and you out and they are content to spend time doing nothing .
Good tip! And overscheduled parents are just as stressed as overscheduled kids, I’d argue.
Love this post! I can see myself taking that 15-minute power nap while youtube takes over… thanks for sharing!
#GlobalBlogging
Nicole – Tales from Mamaville recently posted…Why buying a house is similar to raising a kid. Well, kind of…
Enjoy that well-deserved nap! It’ll make you happier and your kids happier in the long run. 🙂
Katy, I cannot tell you how much I love this post. It is just so refreshing and honest. And simple. Bless you.
Thank you, Kelly! I have missed your lovely comments lately. 🙂
I’m a lazy parent a lot of the time, much to my annoyance. I can see myself in a lot of these, I do them when I’m feeling lazy! Thanks for sharing with #globalblogging
I say embrace it! It’s not all the time, it’s just enough to make us happier and saner.
What can I say, but I love your advice and off to be a lazy parent now more often!! 😉
Janine Huldie recently posted…The Science Fair with Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oh My!
Enjoy being a lazier–and dare I say happier–parent!
you have no idea what I would do for a good nap on this rainy day!
Love how you’ve rebranded common sense parenting as lazy parenting. Brilliant, actually. 😉 Love this post. A must-tweet. ~Elle‹
Aw, well thank you! And I saw the tweet. It’s much appreciated!
What a great post. It’s so simple yet so often overlooked. #happynowlinkup
You’re my kind of mom! Sometimes we don’t have to indulge our kids 24-7. It’s okay to let them figure things out on their own and entertain themselves.
Terra Heck recently posted…Pretend & Play® Teaching ATM Bank – Review and Giveaway
They can be actually very handy in other important relationships in your life too. Great advice here, thanks for linking up. #globalblogging
I am so happy to have run across this post. It’s exactly what I’ve been needing to read all week. It’s been a busy one but the busy in my head is not even in proportion. I just need to chill for the next couple days and be a better lazy mom! Thanks! Pinning
Oh my hat! I love this!!! It’s such a good reminder that just being human is good enough for our kids!!! I just recently found out about YouTubeKids…. I cannot tell you how excited I am … I could giggle uncontrollably, it has seriously changed my day. Just those moments when Mommy needs a time out… “Hey kids” – “you want to watch some science experiments” … And just like that I feel like an amazing parent 🙂 Thanks for sharing Katy! #globalblogging
You are one smart mama. There is a lot of hard things that go along with parenting, so sometimes simple really is the way to go 🙂
I love this, especially number 6 and 10. Kids really do need time and space to figure things out for themselves! #globalblogging
I love this, probably because I *think* I do many of these already. I can’t remember the last time I read a parenting book (gasp!) but I give my kids more than enough attention, lots of hugs as they squirm and protest and let them figure out how to entertain themselves. (Nothing like grabbing a garbage bag to pack up their overflowing rooms of toys and books to get them to find something to do!) Visiting from Happy Now party.
Sounds like you have a great thing going! I think I try too hard sometimes and need to enjoy the simple things and simple way of doing things, including parenting. Thanks for visiting and commenting!
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS Katy!! I am actively practicing ALL these things with my own kids. 🙂 Gotta share this… because it’s awesome.
I love this post. I say I love you so much to my kid. He now tells me and almost everyone he loves them way too much. Lol
Yes to #2 especially. Going to bed late guarantees I’ll be a worse mom the entire next day!
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