Picture credits: Sink, victorianplumbing.com, Sofa, loaf.com
Roll over Tiger Mother and Helicopter Parent! Step aside Gina Ford and Earth Mother! There’s a new parenting classification system in town: Sink-Based and Sofa-Based. Parenting styles are the source of much scrutiny, debate and angst. Where do I fit in to all this? you may cry. Do my children even care? Check my handy guide to find your new label!
I’m not going to claim any gender assignation here, but in my household, I am the sink-based parent, while my husband takes the sofa role.
To find out more about these specimens, I spent the weekend examining them in a number of different situations, in the manner of Richard Attenborough.
Mealtimes
Sink-based: Come and have tea! Wash your hands! Have you been to the loo? Use your fork! No pudding unless you eat three more mouthfuls! I’ll sit with you in a minute when I’ve finished scrubbing this pan!
Sofa-based [to sink-based]: Can we have some biscuits?
Homework
Sink-based: Come and read to me while I put the dishwasher on. What’s that – well, read the letters out to me and I’ll tell you. Can you please grab your spelling book? It’s in the hall! In your book bag! No I don’t know where the pencil sharpener is. So, how do you spell: bad mummy?
Sofa-based: Sit on my lap and read me your reading book. [To sink-based] Can we have some biscuits?
Child Entertaining
Sink-based: I’ve got the pens out here by me, come and draw! Or the Play-Doh then? I’ll help you in a minute, just need to rinse these bottle teats. What’s that, you want to help me wash up? Great! No, don’t splash me. Don’t squeeze out all the washing up liquid! Not the glass…oh.
Sofa-based: Let’s watch Scooby Doo 2! [To sink-based] Can we have some popcorn?
Obviously I’m omitting the park-based parenting and other out-of-house styles, since my field experiment was conducted during a very rainy and cold weekend. And just for the sake of my marriage, I should add that my husband did not, of course, spend the entire weekend melded to a sofa cushion.
Every household needs a balance – a bit of sofa-based with a dash of sink-based parenting.
Overall, I learnt a good lesson. I need to up my Sofa-Based Parenting.
For my sake as well as theirs.
What about you? Do you need to step away from the sink or have you got the balance nailed?
I’m delighted to be in the BritMums Brilliance in Blogging Final – thanks for all your support.
Okay, I’m guilty of being about 75% sofa-based, while my wife is the opposite. In my defence, though I never ask her for biscuits. I ask for coffee instead.
Tim recently posted…Our month in photos: May 2015
I’m half sink, half sofa, but probably more sink. My husband is all sofa. haha
Californian Mum in London recently posted…Shopping with Kids
I absolutely love this! I am definitely sink based – I have a problem with never sitting down and my husband literally congratulates me if he finds out I’ve sat on the sofa!!! xxx
Esther @ Inside Out and About recently posted…Arriving in Shanghai and heading to Ningbo
Thanks Esther! I’m the same, I never sit down. My husband doesn’t seem too worried about it though ha ha! x
I’m married to the King of the Sofa! And I am chained to the sink with my marigolds on and a bottle of wine with a straw in it!!
On the plus side, my Play Doh skills are magnificent and the sink is much closer to the fridge where the wine is kept. The sofa is miles away in comparison.
You snooze. You lose!
Cheers to the Queens of the sinks!xx
carry on katy recently posted…17 Things That Are As Certain As Death and Taxes.
I think this a great post, it’s good to have a balance. I think I have balance but this definitely reminds me to keep it in check xx briiliant #sharewithme
Alexandra @dontcallmestepmummy recently posted…7 Steps to Simplify Your Life
Thanks Alexandra. I am definitely too sink-orientated…must sit down more!
I am a sink based parent and then on some days a sofa parent! There’s really just so much work to do sometimes =( #sharewithme
Merlinda Little (@pixiedusk) recently posted…Wicked Wednesdays – 3 June 2015
As always Jess you had me in stitches. I am the run-around the house pick up Mommy while hubby is the sofa based. I continue to just “pick up” everything in one room to go to the next to come back and do it again in the same room. I swear I must do a thousand squats a day why do I not have buns of steal. While hubby teaches them and reads to them and cuddles them on the sofa based areas of the house. Not fair. lol Too funny. Thanks for linking up to Share With Me. #sharewithme
Jenny recently posted…Advice to my children
I know, right? Their take on parenting looks a lot more comfortable, and in touch with the children!x
I am sink based and my parter is 100 % sofa based for sure x #sharewithme
Lindsay @ Newcastle Family Life recently posted…Dreaming Of A Full Night’s Sleep
I’m in the middle, although if I’m honest I lean more towards sofa-based 🙂 #sharewithme
m recently posted…Stress-Free Potty Training
Sounds good to me!
Brilliant post – I’m neither sink nor sofa based? hmm Alot of the time I am biscuit tin based or rocking back and forth. I will define my parenting style as worryingly ‘without base’ I definatley need to spend more time sink based and laundry basket based.
mama zen recently posted…Health and Safety