Simplicity Parenting – Book Review
My wife and I read Simplicity Parenting years ago when we first started our parenting journey and it has become a cornerstone to our parenting strategy. In it, Kim John Payne explains the importance of simplifying your life to help raise well adjusted and mature children. He runs through the importance of simplifying and a good amount of areas to declutter. We have tried hard to keep our schedules, toys, clothes, and meals all very simple to help create a peaceful environment for our children.
We all know that transition times are the hardest for kids. When we have to stop playing at the park or get ready for bed is when our parenting is really tested. If our kids know what to expect because we have established a dependable routine, our kids will be less likely to act out. If we aren’t running around from place to place, kids will be more settled. The same goes for clothes, toys and food. The less decisions and clutter we have to make the better we will function as adults and kids.
“A secure childhood is one in which a child feels protected by and connected to the adults in his life.”
“The soul of childhood needs time and space to breathe.”
“The complexity and speed of our times make childhood more stressful than ever.”
“When we simplify our children’s lives, we help them to live with greater focus and clarity.”
“Less stuff equals more space, and more space equals more calm, more clarity, and more room to think.”
Here are a few of the areas that Payne suggests pairing down:
- Environment: This includes simplifying your home environment by decluttering and reducing the number of toys, books, and other possessions that your children have.
- Rhythm: Payne emphasizes the importance of creating predictable routines and rhythms in your family’s daily life, including consistent mealtimes, bedtimes, and playtimes.
- Scheduling: Payne suggests reducing your child’s schedule and simplifying their activities to give them more unstructured playtime and downtime.
- Filtering out the adult world: Payne recommends limiting exposure to adult concerns and media, including news and social media, in order to reduce children’s stress and anxiety.
- Simplifying toy collections: Payne suggests reducing the number of toys that your child has and choosing high-quality toys that promote creativity and imagination.
- The gift of boredom: Payne encourages parents to allow their children to experience boredom, which can promote creativity and self-directed play.
- Connection: Payne emphasizes the importance of connecting with your children on a deep and meaningful level through activities such as reading together, telling stories, and spending quality time together.
- Creative discipline: Payne suggests using positive discipline techniques, such as redirection and natural consequences, to promote learning and growth.
- Food and feeding: Payne encourages parents to simplify mealtimes by serving healthy and nourishing food, involving children in meal preparation, and creating a peaceful and enjoyable atmosphere at the dinner table.
We have found great success as we’ve implemented this less is more philosophy. It is tough at Christmas and birthdays to get grandparents on board but over the years we have convinced them that it is a good thing for the flourishing of our kids. We have significantly paired down toys, clothes, our schedule and our eating habits. We cherish the down times we have together and love that we’re not always running from one thing to the next. Our kids do get bored but in those marginal spaces they experiment and discover or just spin really fast on a swing.
I’d encourage you to pick up a copy or download the audio book and give it a listen. This book has something in it for everyone.
