In The Idle Parent Tom Hodgkinson provides a revolutionary and wholly sensible approach to childcare, based on the idea of D.H. Lawrence and many others that the best thing we can do for children is to leave them alone. Of course, this doesn't mean that we should completely neglect them, but rather that we should provide them with the space and time to grow up self-reliant, confident, happy and free. To do so we need to stop worrying and start nurturing the natural instincts towards creativity and independence in every child. And in so doing we will find ourselves becoming happier and better parents. This is the perfect guide for anyone grappling with parenthood and wondering why the existing manuals are so dispiriting.