People call me a ‘lazy’ mum because homework’s optional for my kids – there’s more to life than good grades
A MUM has been branded “lazy” after boasting that homework is optional for her kids – and it’s not her only controversial parenting rule.
Danielle Gallacher allows her two boys unlimited screen time and encourages them to hit someone back if they’re hit first.
The 32-year-old claimed school homework isn’t enforced for her sons – Caiden, nine, and Oliver O’Donnell, five – as “kids nowadays have enough stress”.
After flippantly adding “who needs the stress?” in a TikTok post about her parenting techniques, she was bombarded by trolls calling her “lazy” and “on the road to disaster”.
She also revealed she’s let Caiden play out without supervision since age six.
Danielle explains her and fiance Jordan O’Donnell, 32, have taken an “old-fashioned” approach to parenting as they believe kids are put under too much stress.
The civil servant says she tried to force Caiden to do his homework in the first year of primary school, aged five, but tantrums meant he “didn’t benefit” from it.
She began leaving him to choose whether he completes it or not and five years later she says he’s learned to balance homework and “being a kid”.
Her TikTok video has been viewed more than 1.6 million times with users split between criticising her and applauding her “common-sense approach” without “millions of rules”.
Some suggested her parenting techniques would mean her kids rule her and do what they want.
But the mum of two insists her parenting traits aren’t lazy and are simply that she understands there’s more to life than doing well in school.
Danielle from Glasgow, Scotland, said: “People have said I don’t value education but I do.
“You need to have a balance between education and being a child because parents and kids don’t have much time between getting home and bedtime.
“I wanted to post to show there’s all different ways of parenting children and not one way is right or wrong.
“I feel kids nowadays have a lot of stress on them and there’s far too much expectation so we parent in the old-school way we were brought up, without any stress.”
She added: “We used to be quite different with homework and make Caiden do it before he did anything else but it just caused chaos and he didn’t want to do it. He wasn’t benefiting from it.
“He’s got a week to do his homework so if he’s too tired to do it and wants to play with his friends then that’s fine. It’s a 9-3 school, so it’s basically a full-time job.
“We switched to him choosing, so if he wants to do it then great but if he doesn’t then he’s got to go to school and probably get into trouble for not doing it. So he learned.
“Five years on and he manages his time well around football, Xbox, playing out with his friends and telling us he’s going to do his homework.
“My way isn’t lazy. Just because it is optional that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t help him with something.
“The majority of the time he doesn’t need any help and If he’s making mistakes then that should be handed to show a teacher he’s doing something wrong.
“There’s more to life than just doing well in school. There’s social skills to have and there’s the world to see.
“If you don’t get the grades you can go into further education. It can be corrected.”
Danielle looks back fondly on her childhood where she’d often play out without worrying about her safety or education.
She insists allowing children to play out at a young age should depend on the location and explains she lives in a quiet residential area with greenery.
She’s also banned chewy sweets but insists it’s more a personal preference than a stand against sugary foods as Caiden choked on one as a two-year-old.
The mum, who is on a two-year career break, was keen to justify each point in her viral list of parenting traits.
Danielle said: “As long as my kids are well-mannered and they try their best then I don’t think we can ask for much more.
“I understand limiting screen time for some children but I don’t think mine spend too much time with screens to do that.
“We don’t limit our screen time as adults and we use our phones all day and then watch TV at night so that’s a bit hypocritical.
“Caiden would rather be out playing and if it’s raining he’ll go to his friends house or they’d come to ours.
“When he’s playing out there’s the same dangers now as there was back then but now it’s publicised more.
“The amount of bullying in kids’ lives, I think it’s good for them to be able to stick up for themselves too.”
Danielle’s controversial TikTok has more than 4,000 comments and 34,000 likes.
What teachers have to say
EVEN teachers have chimed in to agree that homework shouldn't be mandatory
After a stressed mum revealed that it leads to arguments every night, one primark school teacher said: “We do provide homework but it isn’t mandatory.
“Personally, I think extracurricular activities and quality time with family is a much more beneficial way to spend time after school.
“I would just speak to your son’s school, they’ll understand. Pretty sure you’ll not be the only parent fighting this battle.”
Meanwhile, another echoed: “As a teacher I would say if homework is causing stress then ditch it!
“That’s always my advice to parents. Our school offer it as opt in or opt out which I think is fair.”
One wrote: “The homework one is a road to disaster.”
A second said: “Try their best, yet they’re allowed to have as much screen time as they want. Yeah okay.”
A third hater added: “It’s called lazy parenting, love.”
Another said: “Basically the kids rule you and do what they want.”
However some agreed with Danielle and said: “Thank God for an old school family with morals and common sense.”
Another said: “I love this, if it works for you and your kids are happy and polite then surely it’s a success? Ignore the haters.”
Meanwhile, a third echoed: “Love this. Just how we were raised before the world went crazy with a million rules.”