PARENTS will know that coming up with new ways to keep your little ones entertained can be quite tricky.
Whether it’s giving them a piece of paper and a pen or reading a story, children tend to lose interest quite quickly.
Many savaged the influencer for treating the supermarket as ”free daycare”[/caption]
Although we wouldn’t normally judge people on their parenting skills, one influencer and toddler mum recently came under fire after she shared a ”clever hack” to keep her tots occupied for a while.
Lauren Grapes, from Australia, explained that she had ran out of ideas on what to do with her two kids – but then found a bizarre solution at a supermarket.
Rather than buying her children the toys, the 23-year-old simply ”let them run wild” in the aisle – however, the aftermath left social media users fuming.
The fashion influencer told her 98k followers in the now-viral video: ”Just a little life hack if you have toddlers and you don’t know what to do today.
”Kmart – unlimited toys.
”Let them run wild and then just clean up the aisles after.”
The two tots, both under two, were clearly having the time of their lives, as there were almost a dozen toys and boxes all over the floor.
As Lauren’s daughter was attempting to throw another box off the shelves, her little boy was deeply engaged playing with a truck in the background.
Proudly sharing the shocking footage on her page, the toddler mum wrote in the caption: ”Kmart about to start charging us rent.”
Unsurprisingly, the clip soon took the internet by storm, amassing more than 1.4million views – and over 2,700 furious comments from angry viewers.
Many brutally savaged the mum – not only for treating the supermarket as ”free daycare” but also potentially ruining the toys she’d leave for other customers and parents to buy.
The ”entitled” Aussie influencer (@laurengrapes) was also shamed for not teaching her tots ”to respect” the store, as well as its staff members.
One person begged: ”as a kmart employee – PLEASE DON’T DO THIS!”
Different parenting styles explained
There are four recognised styles of parenting explained below:
Authoritarian Parenting
What some might describe as “regimental” or “strict” parenting.
Parents with this style focus on strict rules, obedience, and discipline.
Authoritarian parents take over the decision-making power, rarely giving children any input in the matter.
When it comes to rules, you believe it’s “my way or the highway”.
Permissive Parenting
Often referred to as “soft parenting” or “yes mums/dads”.
Permissive parents are lenient, only stepping in when there’s a serious problem.
They’re quite forgiving and they adopt an attitude of “kids will be kids”.
Oftentimes they act more like friends than authoritative figures.
Authoritative Parenting
Authoritative parents provide their children with rules and boundaries, but they also give them the freedom to make decisions.
With an authoritative parenting style, parents validate their children’s feelings while also making it clear that the adults are ultimately in charge.
They use positive reinforcement techniques, like praise and reward systems, as opposed to harsh punishments.
Neglectful or Uninvolved Parenting
Essentially, neglectful parents ignore their children, who receive little guidance, nurturing, and parental attention.
They don’t set rules or expectations, and they tend to have minimal knowledge about what their children are doing.
Uninvolved parents expect children to raise themselves. They don’t devote much time or energy to meeting children’s basic needs.
Uninvolved parents may be neglectful but it’s not always intentional.
A parent with mental health issues or substance abuse problems, for example, may not be able to care for a child’s physical or emotional needs consistently.
”The way I’d push my cart right though this without saying excuse me or anything,” another chimed in.
”So that’s why toys are broken when I open the box,” a horrified viewer slammed Lauren.
”I’m sorry but Kmart isn’t free daycare,” a TikToker agreed.
”What if kids are sick and spreading germs onto new toys? I get where you’re coming from but no.”
”Okay but what about all the people that need to walk through that with prams, wheel chairs etc? Do they have to wait until you decide to clean it up?” someone else said.
