{"product_id":"the-idle-parent-the-idle-parent-why-laid-back-parents-raise-happier-and-healthier-kids-9781585428007","title":"The Idle Parent: The Idle Parent: Why Laid-Back Parents Raise Happier and Healthier Kids","description":"\u003cb\u003eThis wise and funny book presents a revolutionary yet highly practical approach to childcare: leave them alone. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"\u003ci\u003eThe Idle Parent\u003c\/i\u003e came as a huge relief to the whole family. Suddenly, it was okay to leave the kids to sort it out among themselves. Suddenly, it was okay to be responsibly lazy. This is the most counterintuitive but most helpful and consoling child-raising manual I've yet read.\"--Alain de Botton, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Pleasures and Sorrows of Work\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Consolations of Philosophy\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"The most easy-to-follow-without-being-made-to-feel-inadequate parenting manifesto ever written . . . A godsend to parents.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe Sunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Add liberal doses of music, jovial company and deep woods to play in--all central to the idle, not to say Taoist, life--and you have a recipe for bright, happy people with need of neither television nor shrink. Who could ask for more?\"--\u003ci\u003eThe Evening Standard\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eThe Idle Parent\u003c\/i\u003e, the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Freedom Manifesto\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eHow to Be Idle\u003c\/i\u003e applies his trademark left-of-center theories of idleness to what can be one of the thorniest aspects of adult life: parenting. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Many parents today spend a whole lot of time worrying and wondering--frantically \"helicoptering\" over their children with the hope that they might somehow keep (or make?) them flawless. But where is this approach to childcare getting us? According to Hodgkinson, in our quest to give our kids everything, we fail to give them the two things they need most: the space and time to grow up self-reliant, confident, happy, and free. In this smart and hilarious book, Hodgkinson urges parents to stop worrying and instead start nurturing the natural instincts toward creativity and independence that are found in every child. And the great irony: in doing so, we will find ourselves becoming happier and better parents.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTom Hodgkinson\u003c\/b\u003e is the founder and editor of \u003ci\u003eThe Idler\u003c\/i\u003e and the bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eHow to be Idle\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHow to Be Free\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Idle Parent\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eBrave Old World\u003c\/i\u003e. In 2011, he and his partner, Victoria, launched the Idler Academy of Philosophy, Husbandry, and Merriment, a business that offers online and real-world courses in the liberal arts and practical skills, from philosophy and playing the ukulele to business skills and singing.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Penguin Adult Hc\/Tr","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50921629221138,"sku":"9781585428007","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_5e2dc1f0-d0df-439b-9db8-3bcd9344fcaa.jpg?v=1738922078","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-idle-parent-the-idle-parent-why-laid-back-parents-raise-happier-and-healthier-kids-9781585428007","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}