I don't do science experiments

"I feel so guilty," a friend said to me this week. "I haven't done a single science experiment with my daughter these school holidays.

I laughed. "I can make you feel better - I've NEVER done a science experiment with mine!"

Then I admitted that I rarely do set activities with her. I'm of the "just play" school of parenting. Scheduled activities and structured play happen at preschool, while home is for finding her own fun. And I'll admit that this is mostly because I'm not good at arts and crafts or thinking of great ideas for making things together.

I guess we each tend to parent in a way that's most comfortable to us. Sometimes it's a throwback to how we were raised, with a sense of familiarity or nostalgia, and for others it's a deliberate effort to provide their kids with a childhood completely different to theirs.

It's also about what we enjoy. I'll spend all day happily reading stories to my daughter. I'll bake with her for hours if she's keen to join in, while others I know cringe at the idea. She's been hiking, rafting, travelling, and various other activities we love to do. But there are other things that wouldn't occur to me - science experiments, for example, or playing music. Or relaxing.

Then there are the things that make time grind to a snail's pace. When my daughter says, "Mum, you be the princess and I'll be the witch - no wait, I'll be the princess and you be the prince - no! You're doing the voice wrong!" I can't help but search for a way out of the game.

And so, once again the "village" comes to the rescue. A friend will bring her kids over to bake with us because she can't stand the thought of it, and I take my daughter there to take part in messy art activities.

It all works out in the bigger picture.