Whose Fault is It Anyway?

This is preposterous. I admit I haven't read it very calmly, but I'll tell you why parents have lost confidence in parenting (if indeed they have).

Firstly, we shut children away in artificial peer groups for most of their young lives so that they rarely have prolonged contact with children of other ages, and even more rarely get closely involved in caring for younger children. Most school pupils grow up ignorant of the genuine needs of children since this subject cannot be taught effectively in a classroom. And most of them have no idea how to parent in the modern world in which automatic deference is thankfully no longer an option. They struggle to return to the good old days since they imagine that the only other route is violent anarchy and simply don't get it that you can find a way of appealing to the reason in children.

Secondly, but just as importantly, parents feel the ever present spirit of the state peering over our shoulders every second of the day, attempting to ensure that we do this, do that, get 5 portions, achieve, stay safe, ensure other children are emotionally healthy blah, blah, blah. It is enough to unnerve any parent when coupled with the thought that there could be a completely unaccountable family court waiting at the end of all this.

It really does almost make sense to think "better just to give up thinking for oneself, making inevitable mistakes and then risking being held accountable in terrible ways and with terrible consequences. Yup, better just hand over all responsibility to the state and let them get on with it".

How dare Ms Hughes blame families for the problem. It is the state which is hobbling families and it needs to back off.

(HT: not quite sure, but thanks! Am off to find some diazepam.)