Over at Slate, Tom Hodgkinson explores the idea of idle parenting. I tend to agree with his idea of making kids be more independent by having a lay about every now and then. I think it is no coincidence that my oldest son, who spent some time growing up with me as a single mother, is the most independent of all my children.

Most of the kids of single moms that I know are similarly independent. There’s just so many hours in the day and only so much one human being can do. So many kids of single moms learn early to do some taking care of themselves. My oldest son started out making his own lunch, which fostered an interest in cooking. At 15, he makes better eggs than anyone else I know. And that’s just a small bit of his cooking repertoire.

Obviously, you have to make sure what your kids are doing is age appropriate, but how about letting them take over some of the work?