Sally's World

The Children's Society's Good Childhood Inquiry was being summarised in the papers recently with headlines like... "Selfish adults 'damage’ childhood".

The articles painted a very depressing picture of family life and society today. A picture of how ambitious, workaholic, materialistic, significance seeking parents were neglecting their children in favour of overtime and promotions at the office.

As a result these over worked parents are creating an exceptionally anxious generation of young people, whose measure of success is entirely bound up with material things.

And this distorted view is apparently being further compounded by the stresses of peer pressure and excessive testing at both primary and secondary school.

Click the link to find out more about the inquiry.

http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/all_about_us/how_we_do_it/the_good_childhood_inquiry/1818.html

At first it would be easy to judge and demand that parents get their priorities in order, it would be easy to tut to ourselves and say that parents should put their kids first. But perhaps, in the majority of cases, that’s exactly what working parents are doing.

I’m very lucky; I have a business I can run from home, so I can still be here for the kids, Dave works hard to provide, so I get to be here for the kids. But what if I was on my own, what then? And is Dave being selfish by working so hard?

Is it not important to set those examples of hard work and determination to our kids?

Is it not important that our kid’s schools do actually push them, test them and encourage them to strive to be better?

Yes, as a society I guess, we do have materialistic tendencies, but if we work hard, there is no harm in having nice things, it’s when it takes over your life that problems arise. Know what's truly important... definitely, prioritise...without a doubt!

I think in our family we get a good balance, we work hard, we expect the kids to work hard at their school work too, and they have some responsibility indoors.

But we also play hard, we have family days, we have holidays and make sure it isn’t all about TV, computer games and I-pods. We love family board games and all read a lot.

we make sure we have quality time, and the kids know they are our priority. Yes, I'm here all the time, and Dave works, but when he's here...we expect him to be here 100%!!!

I know that there are a number of parents who take it too far, who totally miss out on their kids growing up, who make work their life. But sometimes the coverage on inquiries like these generalise way too much and do nothing but confuse parents, and make them second guess all the decisions and life style choices they make (usually for the good of their children!!!)