The Parents Who Let Their Kids Do What They Want | Stacey Dooley Sleep Over

Stacey takes a trip down to Brighton this week and stays with Matt and Adele and their three children, 8 year old Ulysses, 4 year old Ostara and baby Kai. Matt and Adele believe in raising their kids with no rules - just freedom to express themselves. They all sleep together in two beds in one bedroom, the kids don't attend school, there are no regular meal or bed times!

Stacey Dooley is fascinated by modern family life and wants to find out what how the more unusual households across Britain live. These families have lifestyles that others might judge but Stacey isn't here to judge, she's not here just to visit but she's here to stay! Experiencing all aspects of family life, to find out what really makes them tick!


Watch More Below

[cwbrooks]

I remember my brain just flying through books as soon as I could start stringing words together. It felt as if I had suddenly gained a superpower. I can't imagine my childhood without the magic of literacy and all the adventures that books inspired in my imagination and in my life.

[jebsmith]

How do the kids know what they want to learn if they are not exposed to ideas they've never heard of?

[cherylvilakazi]

Parents often forget that above and beyond loving and caring for their offspring, their job is to make sure their kids are equipped to navigate and survive in the real world. A world filled to the brim with other human beings. It's devastating for kids to go out there and discover that their wants and needs are not high on everyone else's priority list.

[karennelson]

It would be interesting to find out how their family is doing 15 years from now.

[julianabrotz]

They're against the system but have no problem using it it to benefit it them. That's quite the contradiction.

[HaileysHealth]

They don’t even force their kids to brush their teeth everyday?!! That’s so wrong!!

[suzanneo]

The parents speak of self-sufficiency while living in subsidized housing. Make it make sense.

[suey]

I have no doubt these parents love their kids, but they are setting them up to fail. Kids need structure and guidance.

[Harlequinicole]

This approach seems more for the parents benefit than anytning else. Theyre just projecting their childhood desires on to their children and living vicariously through them.

[jnstuff]

I do agree with letting kids learn through exploring, and having both parents very present.
But also structured learning, routine, and rules are good for kids.

[bbyhly]

They say they're letting them make their own choices but in reality they're actually taking away any choices of theirs but not letting them get an education...because when they're older if they want to do a job they love they won't be able to because their parents couldn't even teach them the basics of life

[AmpedLife]

The 8 year old is in such a bad situation. He sits looking at an ipad and sitting like a monkey on a rock; huddled in a dirty room full of clutter hunched over uncooked and uncut vegetables interacting/behaving like a 4 year old with the host. His parents are not seeing his isolation and ability to act like his baby sisters bc he isnt being "asked to do more" or level up to keep up with his mates (i.e. nothing required but just kids and humans naturally try to keep pace with the group - helping them all grow and progress in various social and behavioral skills).

[ykk]

I think they are a really loving family and they think that they are making wise choices, but failing to teach them about reading and having consistent schedules for sleep and nourishment is really harmful to these children. I actually feel sorry for the kids. Reading is SUCH a joy that they are keeping from their children.

[gracehalsey]

It feels like the kids have been totally set up to fail. There is no way they will be able to function adequately in the real world.

[ghostie]

Those kids will be so upset when they gain understanding.

[mina]

Our constitutional court in Italy had stated that no education (school and behaviour) should be equally defined as abuse. I can’t be more agree with it.

[Rosie-ue]

This is totally illegal in the netherlands, It's been proven that there is a time window where kids pick up on reading and writing (and speech) within certain time windows. If you ignore those time windows youre setting your child up for failure this is total child neglect :(

[thelogicalanswer]

Reading to my kids was how they learned to read. They could read before they went to school. These kids don't even have that

[elenaangulo]

The fact that the son is teaching himself how to read via an app shows how little they meant what they said about teaching him when he's interested, also I don't think he would ever become interested if it weren't for the host here asking him if he knew how to

[ninjavandenberge]

He doesn't believe in the system, but in the meantime he lives from it. Please go live somewhere in the woods in your own hut and be self-sufficient so that others don't have to finance your craziness.