Mum has been branded 'lazy' after boasting that homework is 'optional'

A mother has been branded 'lazy' after boasting that homework is 'optional' - as people claim her 'woke' parenting makes her children boss of the house.

Danielle Gallacher, from Glasgow, shared a TikTok explaining her controversial parenting techniques, which also include unlimited screen time and encourages her children to hit someone back if they're hit first.

The 32-year-old claimed school homework is 'optional' for her two sons Caiden, five, and Oliver O'Donnell, nine, as 'kids nowadays have enough stress'.

After flippantly adding 'who needs the stress?' she was bombarded with TikTok users branding her 'lazy' and 'on the road to disaster' when she shared the clip last month.

She also revealed she's let Caiden play outside without supervision since age six.

Danielle explained 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 said he's learned to balance homework and 'being a kid'.

Her TikTok has been viewed more than 1.6 million times with users split between calling her 'lazy' 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'.

The mother-of-two insisted her parenting traits aren't lazy and are simply that she understands there's 'more to life than doing well in school'.

Danielle 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.

'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 explained 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 mother, who is on a two-year career break, was keen to justify each slide 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.

One wrote: 'The homework one is a road to disaster.' Danielle replied and said: 'That's your opinion.' But another replied: 'Nah that's a fact not an opinion, I'm afraid.'

A second said: 'Try their best, yet they're allowed to have as much screen time as they want. Yeah okay.' Danielle responded: 'Yeah they do try their best! Screen time whenever they want.'

Another hit back: 'Yeah love. You must have the only kids in the world who tell the truth all the time and police themselves regarding screen times. such angels you have. It's called lazy parenting, love.'

Another said: 'Basically the kids rule you and do what they want.' Danielle simply said: 'No not really.'

One said: 'Homework isn't optional darling, [it's] part of the curriculum. [...] Another one for the woke brigade.'

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.'

A third added: 'Love this. Just how we were raised before the world went crazy with a million rules.'