What a ‘Puddle Parent’ is and why I am more than happy to be one of them

Proud member of the Puddle club.

When I think back on my childhood I think about all the days I spent cycling around the neighbourhood with my friends, going to the park and climbing trees. My dad's side of the family are all bikers so there was a fair few quad biking occasions too. Mostly I remember the freedom of playing and exploring, something I don't want to deny my own children. Recently I wrote an article entitled 'Raising risk-taking children in a world that tells me I should bubble wrap them' and even while writing it I knew I couldn't be the only parent thinking it. What I didn't know however was just like 'helicopter parents' there was a name for this kind of parenting too. Puddle parents. The parents that let their kids get dirty. The parents that let them run wild outdoors. The parents that let their children discover their own identities through independent play. To be honest I think most generations before mine just called it parenting but with the increasing amount of articles telling parents to worry about every little thing and more and more children spending more time on screens than outdoors, Puddle Parents can sometimes be a rare breed. 'Risky play' has been proven to help a child's development and yet many mums I meet at playgroups are aghast at the fact that my toddlers plays on roller skates and has her own climbing frame. But you know what her balance and dexterity is fantastic. She takes on jungle gyms at the playground like they're nothing and I fully intend on putting her into gymnastics when she turns three. In reality the majority of us should be Puddle Parents because most of our own parents were and we turned out just fine. The skinned knees healed and any nettle sting could be cured with a dock leaf. It's so important that we don't take these experiences away from our own children. They are only small for such a short time. Let them be messy and let them have fun.