9-29-25 Barefoot Five

"Yesterday I posted a photo of my 13-year-old doing our end-of-month grocery calculations. She’s in charge of our household grocery budget. The DMs rolled in: “She’s too young.” “That’s too much responsibility.” “Lazy mom.” And honestly? I’ll take it as a compliment. 🙌 Because yes — I’m a “lazy” mom. I could easily handle everything for my kids. But I don’t. On purpose. Because I want them to know how to handle things for themselves. I love the side-eyes I get when people see my kids doing things that are “too hard.” Go ahead, whisper “lazy mom.” Meanwhile, my kids are learning how not to need me — and I think that’s the greatest gift I can give them. We underestimate kids. They’re way more capable than we allow them to be. But most of us are too busy, too controlling, or too worried about the mess to let them try… and fail… and try again. Yes, letting a toddler “help” with dishes turns your kitchen into a tsunami zone. Yes, letting a 4-year-old take out the trash means you’re late, the bag’s ripped, and they somehow touched everything gross. But you know what? They feel empowered. And that’s worth it. Lazy parenting takes patience. It’s messy. It’s crooked, mismatched, four times slower, and sometimes painful to watch. But life isn’t neat or easy. And if we don’t let our kids struggle, we rob them of the chance to prove to themselves they are little badasses. 💪 Raising capable adults doesn’t start at 16. It starts at 3 — when you step back, let them pour the cereal, flood the kitchen, and organize their chaos. So do your kids (and yourself) a favor: be “lazy.” Step back. Let them try. Let them fail. Let them rise. Signed, Brooke Hampton Lazy mom of three wildly capable humans." 🖤 *** Barefoot Five ***