What it means:Who wears the trousers in your family? Not daddy, of course – but not mummy, either. No, the real boss in many families is that little two-year-old, running the whole show from his high chair, completely dictating the agenda. A kindergarchy is a house where all the political power has passed to the child – and he knows how to wield it. Mummy and daddy have to check with little precious before making any decision.
“Fwubbsy doesn’t like this house we bought for him to gwow up in? Okay, darling, we’ll sell up and get a new one, even though mumsy and dadsy are in negative equity.”
Where it comes from:Just how did the kiddy takeover begin? Maybe it began with anxious first-time parents, over-eager to please little poppet, and desperate to avoid doing anything that might leave a mark on their little psyches. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, all the power begins shifting to the child, till they're the ones telling mummy and daddy what to do – and the poor, grown-up serfs are the ones running around doing their new leader's bidding. The Wall Street Journal recently identified some of the signs that a household is tipping into total kindergarchy – including hyperparenting and helicopter parenting. Seems like many households now need to wrest control back from their diminutive dictators.
How to say it:"Mick's house has turned into a total kindergarchy – I told him about our golfing weekend, and he said he had to ask the kid."
– Kevin Courtney
