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