Mum Sparks Outrage After Sending Kids to School Unbathed and Letting Them Eat With Their Hands
A mum has sparked debate by defending her decision to send her five kids off to school without a bath, claiming “it won’t kill them.” Aussie blogger Constance Hall, a mother of five and stepmother to two, admitted that she often cuts corners to manage her large family and save time.
In a post shared on Mama Mia back in 2019, Constance revealed that her children often head to school without a bath, acknowledging that they sometimes go “smelling” but she isn’t bothered. “They don’t have to bath or shower every day,” she said. “They can quite often skip that part of the routine if it’s getting everyone down. I’m like, ‘Fine, stinky, go to school and gross everyone out.’”
Constance justified her decision by referencing the American Academy of Dermatology’s guidelines, which state that children aged six to 11 only need a bath once or twice a week, unless they’re particularly dirty, sweaty, or have a skin condition. “I know it makes them look more loveable when they are all clean and smell fresh, but really, skipping a night bath or morning shower a couple of times a week won’t kill them,” she added.
In addition to skipping baths, Constance shared her unconventional approach to meal times. To save on washing dishes, she allows her children to eat with their hands. “Feast with your hands. Dishes are the worst part of dinner,” she said, also noting that eating with hands is common in other cultures. “Eating should be one of the pleasurable things you share with your kids, not a blur of angry memories.”
She also offered advice on how to make mealtime less stressful, saying if kids don’t eat, parents should “try something else, keep trying or just let the turd eat his plain pasta and tomato sauce.” Constance emphasized that despite her relaxed approach to food, all of her children now eat well and are perfectly healthy.
Other tips from Constance include using color-coded buckets to sort each child’s clothes, scheduling “check-out” times for personal relaxation, and blocking out her kids’ constant noise by wearing headphones. “I can’t respond to the 400 questions a day by six different kids: the fights over whose turn on the iPad it is, or who ruined what,” she explained. “I just can’t. So I block it out.”
Constance’s parenting style has certainly raised eyebrows, but she stands by her relaxed approach, focusing on family fun and efficiency over traditional routines.