A shocking state of affairs in our society.

[Workingman]

The Early Years Foundation in a report out today says that a quarter of pupils cannot communicate at the expected level when they enter primary school. Not only that, they also lack the personal, social and emotional development to allow them to interact with others or control their emotions or behaviour.

There is already a lot a evidence that many cannot feed or toilet themselves so this research is not unexpected, but it is good that the truth is finally coming out - bad parenting is rife and has been allowed for years. It should not be the job of a primary school to undo this damage, the, err, "parents" should be made to take the blame and be forced to take steps to help their children catch up.

[cromwell]

1000% agree.

Because what you are doing by making the schools responsible for doing the things that parents should be doing, is feeding the problem.

I know that children develop at different speeds, that some can do their laces and some can't, and that has always been the case and is something and nothing.

But schools are being made responsible for that, for teaching children how to put their coats on, how to use a knife and fork, for potty training, pretty nearly everything. There was even a spot on local tv recently with I think nursery nurses showing children how to brush their teeth!

And yes, as I posted on VV ages since, children are coming to nursery unable to talk. My wife had some in nursery who could only point and make a noise.

And the more you try and cater for the results of bad parenting, the more bad parents will just take advantage, and happily hand over all the responsibility of bringing their child up to someone else; and then blame that someone else if their child turns out wrong.

[Suff]

My teeth are splintering. I'm going to leave this one now before I damage my keyboard more than the cup of coffee did....

[Workingman]

My teeth are splintering....

I know how you feel, but at last the truth about some of these touchy-feely ways of doing things are being aired and blame is being laid fairly and squarely where it should always have been.

For far too many years anyone speaking out was an 'ist' of some sort or the attitude was an 'ism'. Maybe we are entering a new age.

[Aggers]

Could it be that the technological world we now live in has a lot to do with it?
I certainly think so.

How much conversation now takes place between parents and children, when
both the parents and their children are so engrossed with their electronic
playthings. I'm not at all surprised. It's an inevitable consequence of modern
technology. One doesn't need a university degree to work this one out.

[cromwell]

That is a very good point Aggers.

I know that I am probably out of order when I think that some of the young mums around here think more of their phone than they do of their child, but when I see them texting and phoning whilst ignoring their child, sometimes whilst walking down a busy street with cars going by, I do wonder.

It's a generational thing maybe. Certainly whilst I've been waiting in the doctors it seems to be the child's grandmother who talks to their grandchild and plays with them whilst the mother fiddles with her phone.

[Workingman]

As a long time bus user the phone over child attitude now seems to be the norm, and social class appears to be irrelevant.

The local bus corridor passes through a huge area of private housing, there are no council estates on the route, so the mums I see are solid middle class, and it is always the phone needing their immediate and undivided attention.

Another thing I have noticed is that modern pushchairs have the child facing forward and that closes down any parent/child interaction.

All these little things build up.