Sittervising: Expert-approved Trend Allows Kids To Play, While Parents Do Their Own Thing

Sittervising Susie Allison helicopter parenting Busy Toddler Emily Kline Erin Asendorf

By Camille Hutchison , Parent Herald Sep 27, 11:22 pm

Many parents find ways to keep their children entertained, which consumes their time. However, parents also have other responsibilities. According to Today, "sittervising" is the new parenting trend that allows both parents and child to do their own thing while also letting the parent supervise their kids.

The strategy was introduced by Susie Allison, a former teacher who coined the expression, on her Busy Toddler Instagram page.

Sittervising is beneficial as it also allows parents to recharge. Most often, parents engage with their kids physically, but this parenting trend allows them to engage from afar, which means trusting the children to play on their own while they watch them nearby while doing other tasks.

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Allison said that sittervising is the opposite of helicopter parenting and helps children develop skills that can only be done while playing. When parents spend a hundred percent of their time participating in the play, children lose the benefits of playing, such as spatial awareness, risk management, and conflict settlement.

Is the new parenting trend healthy for parents and children?

Emily Kline, an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine, stated that parents lose something, too, when they supervise their children and include themselves in the kid's play. Playing steals the parent's time, hindering them from writing or checking emails, cleaning, or self-care. Parents often save such stuff after kids are asleep, which causes burnout.

Thus, learning to play alone is a stepping stone toward self-sufficiency, just like using the bathroom, getting dressed, or trying shoes. Sittervising establishes a healthy distance between parents and children. Parents are around their children if they need them, but they are not hovering over them, which lets children work on their independent play skills.

The latest parenting trend appears to be healthy as it is an understanding that parents are not required to always be a part of their kid's playtime. Allison emphasized that it's both beneficial to the parents and kids. As the blogger at Busy Toddler puts it: "I'm a better parent when I'm rested." Thus, sittervising is an opportunity to divert "mom guilt" to the curb and recharge batteries with the knowledge that what parents are doing is all good for everyone involved, per Very Well Family.

Sittervising reminds parents that it's okay to rest

Erin Asendorf, a stay-at-home mom, sittervises her kids, ages six, four, and two. She said that her kids love repetitive play, and she finds herself dominating the storyline revealing that her children do not always get what they need. Instead, she lets her kids learn a lesson independently while she supervises them.

The mother of three claimed that the parenting trend helps her children develop confidence. For instance, kids play at the playground, and they need to interact with other children to have playmates, and in doing so, they have to introduce themselves. In this situation, parents may want to get out of the way, but sittervising allows kids to learn such skills.

Parents can begin sittervising their children from the time they are just babies. Parents should remember that the main key is being aware of how parents can allow the kids to safely explore on their own while they disengage, per Motherly.