Mummy blogger Constance Hall is used to baring all when it comes to parenting.
The mum-of-six from Perth, Australia, has written about how she ‘survives’ with her children and says there should be shortcuts for parents.
Writing on Mamamia, Constance said parents shouldn’t sweat the small stuff and should let their kids be as free as possible.
Such as during dinner, a time she enjoys best without any dishes.
To that end, Constance offers her children a huge pile of vegetables that they are free to eat with their hands or leave.
She doesn’t force them to eat it nor fuss over them. And when it comes to bath times, Constance says her children don’t need to be washed every day.
Three times a week does the trick for her kids, she explains, as most can go without daily showers.
One of the ‘life-changing’ hacks she’s learned includes buying coloured boxes for each kid.
That way their clothes go into a different box so there are no mix-ups when it comes to heading out to school first thing in the morning.
Another tip she shared was parents ‘checking out’ – a time they can unwind and not have to deal with parenting issues.
She writes: ‘I hate it when people say to me, “I don’t know how you do it with six kids, I can’t even handle my two,” because the truth is, I probably did more parental work when I had two than I do now.’
Constance added six tips in total, one of them which urged parents to allow flatmates (preferably family members) for extra caring responsibilities.
Others included drowning out white noise (children chatting/asking/shouting) and even putting on headphones to ignore them.
When it came to food, she says: ‘Picnic dinners – both in and out of the house if it’s warm (my preferred method is out) – are great.
‘You just cut up some carrots and celery, grab a cooked chook, and go to the park or beach. It’s cheap and it gets dinner done.
‘Feast with your hands,’ she continues. ‘Dishes are the worst part of dinner. In other cultures everyone eats with their hands off the same plate.
‘I often put a huge pile of vegetables along with another plate of sliced meat or whatever you’re making.’
Organising clothes is another tip she shared, recommending the coloured boxes. Other tips included a checking out time.
She says: ‘I check out at around 7.30pm. Anything you need that’s not an emergency after that is up to you to do. I’m not your mum; I’m not here. I’m not your slave.
‘I’m just a statue of a woman who an hour ago wiped your bum and is now drinking wine chatting on the phone to her sister.’
The fifth bit of advice is about bathing and Constance cites The American Academy of Dermatology, which states that kids aged six to 11 only need to bathe once or twice a week unless they’re dirty, sweaty or have a skin condition.
And the final tip shared is simple: ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’.
She concludes: ‘The thing about being a parent is that it’s a 24 hour a day job no matter which way you look at it, whether you have checked out, or whether you have one kid or six.
‘You are always on. So if you make the decision to have a big family you need to accept that corners must be cut.’
MORE: Constance Hall shares why it’s important to cry in front of your kids
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MORE: Baby weaning tips from an expert – how to make the experience stress-free
source https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/07/mum-of-six-lets-her-kids-go-without-washing-and-eat-with-their-hands-11055942/
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