By Sarah Jean of The Mom TruthBomb
A mother in Northwest New Jersey has made an exciting discovery that will possibly change the lives of moms everywhere.
It all began one night when, by accident, Margaret Johnson zoned out after dinner as she stared at a stain on the yoga pants she had been wearing for at least three days. She was contemplating whether or not she should do a load of laundry, ultimately deciding against it.
When she came to (an unknown amount of time later), Johnson found that the table had been cleared, the dishes had been washed, and the children had showered, brushed their teeth, done their homework, and put themselves to bed. Meanwhile, her husband had fallen asleep in front of the TV. It was uncanny.
Curious if this had been some sort of fluke, Johnson tried again the following evening, but her efforts were thwarted when she realized she had to pee. The moment she took a step in the direction of the bathroom, her children suddenly needed her help with several hundred things.
The following night she tried yet again, but quickly became bored and picked up a book. She was barely able to crack it open before her children needed a referee to preside over their fight about the rules of a game that doesn’t exist. The same thing happened if she sat still while looking at her phone or dared to close her eyes and rest for a few minutes.
Johnson quickly realized that in all of these instances, she was technically doing something. It became apparent that in order for her children to magically transform into self-sufficient, independent human beings who, in fact, can brush their teeth all by themselves, she must do absolutely nothing except exist.
Realizing that this could positively impact moms around the world, Johnson wanted to share her discovery. “Just find a spot on the wall and stare at it. Don’t move, don’t scratch an itch, don’t cough. If they sense any hint of you doing something, anything, they will instantly revert to their needy ways.”
She obviously admits that this is no way to parent all of the time. “But for a brief respite at the end of a long day,” she says, “it can be quite therapeutic.” Johnson will be doing further field research so that she may compile the data and publish a book on her findings.
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About the Author
Sarah Jean lives in New England with her husband and two wonderful children whom she loves dearly, in small increments throughout the day, in between their whining, crying, screaming, and fighting. She writes about it to make herself laugh. Read more at The Mom TruthBomb and follow Sarah on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.