A mother whose five-year-old son has slept in a cardboard box for the past 18 months has insisted she “had no reason to say no” when he first asked if he could.
Susie took to her Instagram page to share a video of her son who slept well in the box, in which he had put some pillows and blankets.
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“My son sleeps in a cardboard box and has been for 18 months,” she explains in the video.
‘Why? Because he asked. And I had no reason to say no.’
She added that because his request didn’t “go against our family values, endanger him or cause a problem,” it was an “easy yes” for her.
“Let me tell you, I love it when kids ask for big things for them that make no difference to us and we can look like such a hero – just by saying yes,” she explained.
She showed a photo of her son in the box and concluded, “Look here.
“So much independence, so much autonomy – what a great story for when he grows up.”
In the caption, Susie went on to explain how the situation had turned out.
“It had been a year and a half since my (then) 4-year-old fell in love with a tumble dryer and asked if he could sleep in it,” she wrote.
“I didn’t respond quickly, took a break and weighed it up: it wasn’t a dangerous request, it didn’t overturn family systems, it wasn’t complicated, expensive or time-consuming.
“It was unusual, but I just shrugged and said ‘Sure! Absolutely!’ His face about that yes!”
She also revealed that her son was “amazing” with his box.
“He likes his box, his space, his independence, his autonomy,” she continued.
“He’s 5 and a half now and I don’t see ‘box’ leaving us anytime soon.”
To cap off her parenting tip, Susie asked, “How many times do we say no when it could have been an easy yes?
“This was an EASY win for my son that didn’t affect us at all.”
People in the comments section were quick to praise Susie for her flexibility, as well as share their own similar stories.
“My 7-year-old daughter has been sleeping in her playpen for three years now,” one wrote.
“We had to repair and replace her box, but she loves it there so much…”
“My daughter slept in a tent for 6 months and then wanted to sleep under a table,” added another. “It takes almost a year.”
While a third wrote: “As a child I slept in a box in my parents’ room for over 2 years.
“My dad and I painted the outside and made it look like my own little house.”
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