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Dad's 'horizontal parenting' technique is the hilarious hack that every tired parent needs

For when kids need to play, but you need a nap.

@elkeyzandstra/Instagram

Tired parents: you're welcome.

Parents love their kids, and want to do everything in their power to provide as much nourishment and enrichment as possible. But sometimes, even when the spirit is willing,…the body is simply not.

However one dad seemed to come up with the perfect solution to keep kids entertained while being able to catch some much needed zzzzs at the same time.

His genius method? “Horizontal parenting.”

A video clip captured by Elkey Zandstra shows her husband Will performing his various “horizontal parenting” activities, all of which never require him to get up off the floor.

In Activity #1, Will wears a t-shirt with a roadmap drawn on it, while his kids use a wooden massage roller as a pretend toy car. Kids get a game, he gets a massage. Everybody wins.

(this was the idea that started it all, Elkey noted)

Activity #2: Will lies face up and acts as a life size dress up doll, with plenty of different outfit options for his kids to arrange and rearrange on his sleeping body.

Activity #5: “DIY Whack-a-mole,” which at first might sound more active, but the most effort this dad has to put in is putting a puppet through the hole. While lying down, as is the theme.

Activity #4: Will is back to laying face down on the ground, and a reversible sequin sheet on his back acts as a zen garden that his children rake with a backscratcher.

Activity #5: tic tac toe, with dad of course being the tic tac toe board, arguably the most important competent of any tic tac toe game.

Man, you gotta applaud the creativity here. And honestly, though Will is sneaking in some rest time, he is still being very present and interactive with his kids, which is often all they really need. Can’t blame Elkey for joking in her caption that she was seeking out publishers to put out a book of her husband’s activity ideas.

Down in the comments, people shared how they were fully onboard for horizontal parenting. A few even poitned out how this was helpful for more than just tired parents.

“This is actually so cute for disabled / chronically ill parents too,” one viewer noted.

“My first thought was this is very POTs friendly 😂😂,” echoed another.

A few fellow parents even shared their own version of “horizontal parenting.”

One person wrote, “We played ‘don’t wake up the sleeping giant’ my dad just napped lol.”

Another added, “My daughter used to play funeral home makeup with me, she made me lay with my arms crossed over my chest and my eyes closed and I couldn't talk while she did my. Makeup. After a while I started suggesting it when I was tired... so if your kids are weird try it 😆”

And lastly, people did agree that there SHOULD be a book with horizontal parenting activities. So be on the lookout. In the meantime, follow Elkey for more inspiration on ways to stay sane while keeping kids happy.

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Dad 'gentle parenting with malicious intent' is making people laugh and sparking a new parenting technique

"The worse your attitude, the more mom's going to blush."

Ginger Jack|TikTok

Dad gives a how-to on "gentle parenting with malicious intent."

By now, everyone has heard of gentle parenting. Even if you're not quite sure what it is, you've heard the phrase. Parents that use this style of parenting set boundaries with their children but with thorough explanations and a focus on healthy emotional development. One dad decided to spin the gentle parenting trend by implementing "gentle parenting with malicious intent" for his older children.

You may be wondering how one gentle parents with malicious intent. No worries, the dad uploaded a now-viral clip to TikTok, where it has over 4 million views, to explain. In the clip, "Ginger Jack" has the camera on himself as he talks to his kids about completing their chores without attitudes…and that's where the twist comes in.

"New rule. Whenever one of you starts giving me attitude, I'm going to start hitting on mom," the dad says before speaking to his partner. "Hey there. sugar. How you doing, baby girl? How do you feel about another child? I could rub your ankles real good." He then makes what can only be described as an attempt at a sexy cat noise.

Ginger Jack's children were having none of it. You could hear them in the background groaning in disgust over their dad's exaggerated advances toward their mom. His wife also sounded a bit embarrassed by his antics, but that didn't stop him from adding new rules to avoid the sight of two parents loving each other.

Eww. Gross. At least that's what most kids think once they reach a certain age. Parents are only supposed to be two adults that live in your house, whose babies were dropped off by a stork with a really strong neck.

This method of gentle parenting with malicious intent was a hit for everyone but his children, who could be heard protesting off-screen with every kissing noise they heard. He wasn't actually kissing their mom, just kissing the air, but the idea of parents kissing was enough to set off their gross-o-meter. People in the comments thoroughly enjoyed his shenanigans and some confessed they would also listen if the consequences were parental affection.

"At that point, I'd deep clean the house, my soul and this Godforsaken world," one person wrote, complete with three crying emojis.

"As a 34-year-old, this would absolutely still work on me," another wrote, ending it with a sweating emoji.

"Since I'm single can you call and flirt with me to get mine to clean," one woman asked.

"Now we see why the Addams family is so well-behaved," someone commented.

Maybe Gomez was onto something with all of his excessive hand kissing. The secret to parenting has been right in front of our eyes this entire time, and we just didn't know it. Watch his brilliant execution of gentle parenting with malicious intent below.

@bbebard

Ultimate #dadmoves #gentleparenting #Comedy

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Parenting hack: Mom makes edible sensory play sand by putting Cheerios in a blender

No sandbox? No problem.

via ElleTheVirgo/TikTok

A mom makes sensory sand by putting Cheerios in a blender.

A parenting influencer who goes by the name @ellethevirgo on TikTok has shared a brilliant hack that can turn a simple box of Cheerios into a fun sensory sand experience. The great part is that the sand is edible, so you don’t have to worry if your child puts some in their mouth, which they will inevitably do.

The recipe for Cheerios sensory sand is pretty simple:

  1. Grab a box of Cheerios (avoid honey nut flavor unless you want your kid to have a sticky sensory experience).
  2. Grind the cereal by dumping it into a blender or food processor. You can also get a rockier texture by putting it in a sealable bag and grinding it with a rolling pin.
  3. Pour the sand into a bin and add some scoops and containers for the full sensory experience.


Now, here's where we'll include our mandatory disclaimer: Children should only play with the sensory sand under adult supervision. Always make sure the bin is clean and the sand is replaced before every use.


Parents on TikTok couldn’t believe they hadn’t heard of the hack before.

"Yess!! So if she accidentally eats the sand it’s ok bc it’s freaking Cheerios," Nelly Gomez wrote.

"Wait, what? Holy hell this is genius," Momma Cusses added.

@ellethevirgo

🌞🐠🌴 #fyp #sensoryplay #upcycling

A few commenters were concerned that the sensory sand may encourage small children to eat real sand. This is a legitimate criticism because, according to doctors, sand can be a choking hazard. "Isn’t she going to be trained that all sand will taste like Cheerio dust now?" Eric asked.

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Mom turns mess into magic after her daughter tried to turn the craft room into a snow globe

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

All that glitters provides golden moments.

Glitter is a word that can strike instant panic into even the most crafty parent. It's something that a lot of parents (and many schools) won't allow across the threshold because it's known to stick around for months, sometimes years. It gets stuck to everything, even your child’s hair. No one is immune from its sticky little wrath of sparkle. But what if you succumb to its allure? Or your job requires you to work with those little shiny flakes? How do you keep tiny hands out of the pot when you're not around?


For one mom, keeping it hidden away in her craft room was the solution and it worked out well. That was, until her toddler found her way into the space unsupervised and decided to turn a perfectly tidy room into a snow globe of glitter. Hayley Colton, who makes custom tumblers and shares her work on TikTok, recently discovered that her toddler set off a glitter bomb in her workspace. But instead of getting angry and yelling, Colton realized her daughter was emulating what she saw her mom do on a near-daily basis.

Colton posted a video to TikTok to explain: “So my daughter got into my glitter and made her own little glitter mixture, and rather than flipping out like I probably do too often, I sat back and thought about it and realized she watches me every day make stuff and play in this glitter. I can’t blame her for wanting to play in it too.”

@hayleybug.artstudio

Please excuse my voice I know I hate it too 😩 #toddlerlife #toddlermom #stayingcalm #parenting #glitter

@hayleybug.artstudio

Please excuse my voice I know I hate it too 😩 #toddlerlife #toddlermom #stayingcalm #parenting #glitter



After the incident, Colton collected as much of the glitter as she could pick up and put it in a small box so she could turn her daughter’s mixture into something she could use every day. She grabbed a small metal tumbler and got to work coating it with epoxy and sprinkling the glitter onto the tumbler, adding some lettering. The adorable little tumbler reads, “If I’m a mess, that means I have been learning #toddlerlife.” Colton admitted she loved the glitter mixture her daughter made and thinks the tumbler turned out pretty cute.

Commenters on the video loved how Colton handled the situation and praised her for being calm, when it would’ve been easy to be upset. One commenter said “We love non toxic parenting,” with a smiling emoji with floating hearts. Another wrote, “Question: Did you have any kind of calm discussion about like asking first or boundaries after this happened?” To which Colton replied, “Yes, of course we had a talk about only mixing glitter with mommy and not by herself.”

Parenting can be hard sometimes, and it’s helpful to see how other parents handle stressful situations, and maybe pick up some tips. Colton handled this situation like a champ and by sharing about it publicly, she’s showing other parents how to turn mess into art. Looks she’s got a future business partner on her hands.

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