Are You a Lazy Parent?

When it Comes to Parenting, There is More Than One Way to Define "Lazy"

Lazy parenting has become the norm in American society, but typically, suburbanite parents would be quick to disagree. More and more parents are exhausting themselves with secondary duties outside of work, instead of worrying about effective child rearing. The results are obvious to outsiders, but not always the parents themselves.

Modern-day parents get lost in stresses such as work or paying bills, and come home only to confuse good parenting with a clean house, a square meal and well-dressed kids. Most parents find time to nurture their children with hugs, kind words, or time spent at a park, but lately, parents are forgetting the importance of early education in the home, specifically reading. Refusing to read to your child or otherwise enrich your toddler is just plain lazy, no matter how much work you do in your house or outside of the home.

Some parents in lower income households admit that subjects such as reading, writing and sometimes even drawing, are best left to schoolhouse professionals, and that it's just too time consuming, demanding or even too messy to do in the home. I've seen this attitude many times first hand, and it's saddening.

Reading to your child every single day is one of the most important and easiest ways to improve your child's demeanor and increase his or her intelligence. One of the most vital aspects of raising a child has become the most neglected in recent years.

I have a friend who is constantly overwhelmed by her four children. She complains about the time it takes to clean her large house although she will admit to spending more time in front of the TV during the day, stewing over her situation than actually cleaning. Her two oldest children are well-behaved but on their own program. Her and her husband have no real goals or expectations for them as they enter high school. The youngest two are complete hell raisers and she admits to being more lenient because she just doesn't have the time to bother with them. She never reads to them and never lets them draw in fear of messing up the walls or furniture.