Parenting things about which I do not give a flying you-know-what*

• Wearing clothes in the house. This isn't so much a "I shall not quench his precious independent spirit by forcing him to wear something he doesn't wish to" as much of a "I'm pretty goddamn sure no child ever died of exposure in a house that is kept at 68 degrees" type of thing. Clothing is not optional outside the house, but if he wants to run around in pajama tops and no bottoms in the privacy of his house I truly cannot be bothered to fight that fight. If he's cold he'll consent to pants. 
• Daily baths. If you corner me on this I'll spout off about dry winter air and how Americans are overly germphobic and daily baths aren't good for his skin, and I do actually believe all that. But, again, unless he's dirty or congested, I'm just as happy to let him skip his bath for a day or so. I draw the line at three days--he gets a bath every third day minimum whether he needs it or not, and we usually do every other day. But I just can't find it in myself to be that worked up about it all. It's not like he's going on dates or anything. 
• Fevers and colds. Before he got his ear tubes I'd take him in constantly, but now I can pretty much trust he's not getting an ear infection. I mean, if I even THINK something is up with his ears he goes in, but if he just has a cold or a fever, I'm not bringing him to the doctor to just to hear "He has a virus, make sure he gets lots of rest and fluids." If he seems to be getting worse instead of better I'll drag him in, but other than that, we just kick back at home. 
• "Enrichment" activities. Until you can come up with empirical proof that there is a more enriching activity than Legos, I'm not going to buy toys with labels that promise to make my kid smarter. Legos will make my kid smart. Reading to him will make him smart. Playdough, chalk, crayons--anything that he has to think about to use creatively is good in my book. Making him figure out how to play with his toys rather than showing him the "right" way to do it. He has an amazing brain, and the best thing I can do is get out of his way and let him use it. 

*Fuck. I don't give a flying fuck.