"Selfish adults 'damage’ childhood".  

Tuesday 24 February 2009

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!!!)



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2 comments: to “ "Selfish adults 'damage’ childhood".

  • Anonymous
    25 February 2009 at 07:59  

    Ignore the report, some families need to take it on board, but your family has the balance right, wendy x

  • The Me/ The Wife/ The Mom
    25 February 2009 at 14:11  

    I read an article once that stated that we are the only generation that stresses the importance of playing with our children every day. And that we feel guilty about the lack of time we spend with them etc.

    The previous generation or my parents generation did not have these issues. I don't remember my mother truly sitting down and playing dolls with me or building block towers when we were kids. Yes...we did do family game nights etc...but they didn't have the time to sit with me and build towers. They worked. My mother in the home, my father out of the home, sometimes two jobs. They did these things to provide not only the basics but to propel our family forward.

    It showed me NOT that my parents didn't love me or value me...but in fact that they DID. They loved me enough to work hard to put me through private school for 12 years etc.

    That report is crap. Someone has to put a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.

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