By now you may have heard of the famously-effective all-purpose CTFD (Calm The F&#K Down) parenting method that took the observable universe by storm a coupla years back.

CTFD has a distant cousin that goes by a different four-letter acronym: HWWT, which I’ve decreed is to be pronounced like “hoot” in Welsh.

Like CTFD, HWWT is an ideal(ish) parenting philosophy that’s perfect for slow-witted parents like yours truly who can’t juggle more than four thoughts at once, especially since one of the four thoughts tends to be a super practical one along the lines of “boy, the Reds are going to stink it out this year” or “how staggeringly hot Rachel Ward was back in the 80’s”.

He let the kid go to school with mismatched socks? His way works, too. The socks will reunite in good time.

You load the dishwasher -this- way, and she loads it -that- way? Her way works, too.

He likes to back his car into the driveway at day’s end, but you like to pull straight in? His way works, too.

You like to cook the bacon in a frying pan, she cooks it in the oven? Her way works, too.

He made the kid’s bed, but you wanted to wash the sheets today? His way works, too – and besides, it’s an opportunity to show you appreciate he put the work in while at the same time nudging him to maybe wash the sheets tomorrow. Two wins for you!

(Three if you have cats, because they were going to barf on the freshly-washed sheets anyway.)