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Apr 22, 2011

Joel rated it:

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0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 19, 2010

Karen rated it:

I'm giving this 5 stars, not because it is some groundbreaking work of genius, but because I think everyone should read it. It isn't just about parenting; it is generally about breaking out of our Puritan ideals of what life should be like. I enjoyed this because it gave me a sense of validation about my own world view and how I live; others might think this is the worst book ever.

Every time my mother snarks at me about my life being so "easy", as if it is some badge of More...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Sep 14, 2011

Tanya rated it:

Great Book!. I'm certain the application of some of the things I'm learning can add to my daily happiness as a parent. This is very well written and easy to read and quite often funny. Tom Hodgkinson draws much of this wisdom from the writing of John Locke (Some Thoughts Concerning Education) and Jacques Rousseau (Emile).

The notes below are for my benefit.. the things that apply to me... quotes, thoughts, and I guess you could say "spoilers".

They're ha More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Dec 29, 2011

Jenny rated it:

How nice to be given permission to chill out a little as a parent. We are conditioned to believe that if we are not providing non-stop activities and entertainment for our kids (and loving it) we are failing as parents. But I agree that it's good for kids to be bored sometimes; then they invent their own games. You don't have to be their 24/7 playmate.

I was nodding at all the basic premises of the book: leave your kids alone more so they can exercise their own creativity, work togethe More...

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Nov 07, 2011

J. rated it:

I am a Radical Unschooler at heart and this book is great for people on that path :) So there are some points I disagree with (saying "no" to everything-but I do agree with the overconsumerism crap, but how will your children ever learn that for themselves? My son has TONS of toys, and now now he says "You know what? I spent $50 on TWO toys that I never, ever play with! I am never doing that again!" By telling your kids a constant "no", you are controlling them e More...

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Jul 03, 2011

Kim rated it:

This book helps cure the I-worry-I'm-not-a-good-enough-parent blues. It's nice to have at least one voice giving me permission to chill out already. Hodgkinson recommends that we just leave the kiddos alone most of the time and they'll not only be just fine but also happier, and I'm inclined to agree with him for the most part (he nurses too many hangovers with too much relish for me to totally think he's got all the answers...). His hedonistic, sarcastic dilettante's perspective is very enjo More...

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Feb 02, 2011

Kstangl rated it:

How lovely to read a book that actually makes you feel like you are doing the right thing by leaving your kids to their own devices and lounging on the sofa to read. With Blackhawk parenting run amok, it is a relief to have found a champion for a more hands-off school of parenting. Hodgkinson does offer an interesting examination of how such parenting is ultimately linked to the corporate capitalism. And how many contemporary parenting books quote Locke, Rousseau and DH Lawrence at length? More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 24, 2011

farmwifetwo rated it:

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/com...

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/com...

The title of the book is rather misleading. Tom and V aren't "idle" as much as thrifty. They also didn't start their idleness with their first child's birth but like most of us have been learning on the go. He doesn't discuss education in this book - the 2 links - but simply discusses his POV on staying home, playing outside and slowing down. That you don't need all the stuff - u More...

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Jun 13, 2011

Kapila rated it:

The title is what captured my interest. And the cover: the pop on the sofa and the kid with the uke. And the other kid with the cape. I looked at the cover and I thought: hey, that doesn't look so bad. I could probably do this if/when called to. Not having been raised by the idle parent in my family (my father was that half, but he was far away...in Nigeria...!), I often think of parenting as the impossible task that no human parent has ever done right in the history of humanity. This concept so More...

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Oct 19, 2010

Runa rated it:

While I am enjoying reading about his unconventional style of parenting, I also have some qualms. I like the fact that he quotes few parenting advisors from previous centuries and actually has a discussion regarding their ideas. I do agree though that when left on their own, children learn and improve their skills in all different activities. Overall the book is a good research of parenting ideas from earlier centuries with an overall look at how to implement it today.

I also think th More...

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Jul 04, 2011

Skylar added it

Based on the free sample, I think this book is going to confirm me in my own personal parenting philosophy, and so I look forward to reading the rest of it one day. I need printed justifcation for my laziness as a parent. I do get the idea that his little-thought-out anti-capitalism is going to start annoying me further into the book, however. Okay, it's already annoying me 20 pages in. But I think I'll be reading this one anyway.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 14, 2010

Melissa rated it:

Initially, I thought to myself, I am going to totally agree with this author. After all, I'm a huge "unhurried child" fan and advocate. I loved the chapter title, Bring Back Child Labor. Funny!

Then, I started reading.

What I couldn't understand is why the author is so fixated with drinking! Hodgkinson continually brings up drinking with good parenting - drink more, give baths tipsy, and on and on. It's almost pushy and it got very weird. Is it okay if paren More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

May 14, 2011

Adrienne rated it:

I love that Hodgkinson made himself write this book. It's so refreshing after spending years reading books that are peddling uptight parenting. And for what? Does all that uptightness even make a difference? Are your kids happy or well-adjusted? Are YOU?

This book is obviously not based on research or anything other than Hodkinson's musings, but his musings really make me think. They make me question a lot of my lifelong assumptions about work and how to spend my time, assumptions lar More...

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Oct 19, 2010

Jarkko rated it:

You don't have to agree with everything in a book for the book to be amazing. In fact, often, the best books are ones that present a mix of strengthening your values by describing them in a clear way and new ideas that force you to question your ways.

Tom Hodgkinson's The Idle Parent does just that -- and after finishing the book, I can't help but love the concept of idle parenting. No, it's not because I want my kids to bring me breakfast to bed, and I'm not even that much into drin More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 06, 2011

Stephanie rated it:

There were some parts of this book that I didn't agree with. What's wrong with team sports? And co-sleeping for several years with multiple children? Not for me. But I liked the overall message of this book enough to give it five stars anyway.

Hodgkinson may be a little extreme in his views, but his basic premise, that we should leave our children the heck alone, really resonates with me. Hodgkinson rails against our current parenting culture and its overprotection, over programmin More...

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Feb 01, 2011

Robyn rated it:

I really wanted to like this book. I loved the premise - encourage your kids to be more independent, don't overschedule them, make life more enjoyable for them and for you... But most of the suggestions in this book were so unrealistic that reading it began to feel like a waste of time. Many families have two working parents. Most don't live on farms, or start their own local schools in order to encourage a form of "anarchy." And though many of us enjoy a good drink, we don't pla More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 21, 2010

Laura rated it:

There was some really good info in this book, but it was hard finding it between all the unrealistic scenarios of parenting for the average parent -like living on a farm and letting your child spend most of their time adventuring in the woods while learning about life, instead of in sitting in a classroom all day. Or living with more family to split the kid raising responsibilities. Yeah, just not gonna happen. Another bothersome habit of the writer was how frequently he talks about how if you More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 19, 2011

Samantha rated it:

One of the greatest non-preachy parenting books I've read so far. Down to earth advice that resonates well with our lifestyle, though some of the tips and suggestions are a little kooky, some of it I will take to heart. Don't let the author's attitude bog you down in the beginning, he starts off seeming to just want to drink beer while his kids play in a field with a stick, he is British after all, and I think he is trying to be funny/shocking. His advice ultimately shuns "stuff" for More...

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May 24, 2010

Gregory rated it:

A caveat: I have never been a parent and never will be. Having said that, Hodgkinson has written a book after my own heart-- an antidote to all those type "A" parents out there taking the fun out of childhood. Too much of what parents do now is based on fear and trying control the unknowable future. What happened to living in the present? Unfettered play with their friends in tow outdoors is what we need more of for our children, rather than turning children into little uptight junior More...

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Jul 20, 2011

Brian rated it:

I had high hopes for The Idle Parent, but after reading it, I have mixed feelings. My first complaint is with the book's tone. It's very condescending, patronizing, and pious. Though the whole premise of the book is that wonderful things happen by being a slacker parent, the writing comes across as very judgmental (sort of the opposite of what you'd expect from a slacker). This problem is exacerbated by the fact that it's written to persuade, but it's just an opinion piece. There's no " More...

4 comments like

Oct 26, 2010

Sarah rated it:

Okay, I confess. I read only half of this book. I fall into the same group as many other reviewers--I both liked and disliked this book.

I loved the premise of the book: let your kids be kids. Let them play in unstructured environments, let them run around outside, turn off the TV, expect them to contribute to the household (in appropriate ways), rely on/support other family members and friends to share the big task of raising kids, etc.

But, I also often found his lofty appl More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 19, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

Maybe 2 stars is too harsh, but I hated to give it 3. I found that the entire time I was reading the book I was making a mental tally in my head of Things I'd Say Amen To versus Things That are Absolutely Ridiculous. The book is not very well researched, other than the author dusting off a few old philosophers' work. There just aren't many facts behind his claims. Much of the book seemed contradictory to me: He lauds laying on the couch with a beer and leaving the kids alone to find things More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 18, 2011

Sally added it

So far, LOVING IT!!

from :http://idler.co.uk/idleparent/

THE MANIFESTO OF THE IDLE PARENT

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
More...

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Oct 19, 2010

Paulkelly05 rated it:

I read a few articles by Hodgkinson on Slate.com that were related to his book. They were funny and interesting. Basically, parents should do less for their kids, so their kids become more independent, smarter, and better adults. I thought this was interesting, so I got his book in the hopes of an entertaining and educational read. Unfortunately, for an adult, Hodgkinson is still fighting the demons of a European University Student. In other words, we should be "idle parents" More...

2 comments like

Oct 19, 2010

Cassie rated it:

this is an awesome book and my favorite parenting book since judith rich harris's nurture assumption (the other book all parents should read.) hodgkinson is hilarious and smart. i wish he was my neighbor. the great thing about this book is you simultaneously feel like you could have written every word yourself, while also finding something to disagree with on every page. and to be fair, hodgkinson contradicts himself all over the place (e.g. do things as a family! split up and let everyone go th More...

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Aug 14, 2011

Ariel rated it:

this book was fantastic, but it was entirely in line with my parenting style, and general outlook on society and life, so of course i found it fantastic! i skimmed it, as i already agreed with it almost entirely. tom hodgkinson is funny and smart. i would like to go to his house and hang out with him and his kids. he felt like a modern day john holt with more of a sense of humor and with an emphasis on parenting, but really he was talking about us a society. i'd like to read more of his boo More...

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Apr 08, 2011

Jessica rated it:

I am a very Type-A person, so the idea of being an "Idle Parent" is basically my polar opposite. I only read the book for a book club discussion. After about 50 pages I nearly gave up; I just couldn't take it. But I stuck with it and it ended up being ok. I did actually agree with the author on several points, I just didn't see why it was necessary to try to get parenting wisdom from 1800s authors that he continually referenced. PLus, he had no studies or statistics to back up his More...

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Jun 28, 2011

Ruth rated it:

I really enjoyed reading this. Much more fun than other childcare books I've read. Gives me an excuse for the fact I never took my son to any baby and toddler classes and didn't bother with baby sign language!

Actually I'm wondering whether someone sent a copy back in time to my parents in the 1970s. A lot of the points mentioned in the 'idle parent manifesto' could have been written for them.

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Mar 29, 2011

Robert rated it:

It could have been a great one page idle book - leave the kids alone more. But I guess that wouldn't fly with the publisher so it's more of a manifesto for a more traditional childhood - four hour school day, build things from wood, raise and eat your own pigs. Possibly idyllic but far from idle. Also, Hodgkinson denounces computers yet the book wants you to visit its blog. Entertaining and occasionally inspirational nonetheless.

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Aug 02, 2011

Vanessa rated it:

I read about 80 pages of this and skimmed the rest. I didn't enjoy the writing style and I couldn't stand how the author tells us to not care what other people think and to parent how we want but then tells us exactly what NOT to do in his condescending voice. His main points are valid but you can pick those up by skimming the chapter titles.

And the bit about his wife "deciding" to enjoy playing with her kids and that doesn't mean at the soul-sucking, life-zapping, hell h More...

3 comments like

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