Children

amenity · Children

I saw this post by John on DC's site and could not think how I came to miss it. It had not been posted up as unread.
I thought it is important enough to repost here, sorry if you have read it.

Has anyone seen today's national Guardian (pages 14 & 15) where under the heading "Children in crisis" it compares Harwich with the Hook of Holland?
It takes the UNICEF survey of children from across the world and damns England as the worst place for children to live in the developed world. See:

http://society.guardian.co.uk/children/story/0,,2015253,00.html

for the full article.

Why is it that in the Netherlands politicians can make young peoples' lives worth living and in England our politicians have failed us over the past 25 years?
What is it about our system that means that our governments have been so incompetent?
Anybody have any ideas how we can change it because from past and current evidence the two main political parties do not appear to be up to the job?
_________________
John

EssexGurl

I know most of those kids in the article.....and some of them are a major pain in the butt...but thats neither here nor there Shocked

Until the goverment are willing to invest in our kids nothing'll change. They just make more and more laws to deal with what they have become without trying to see why kids are turning out like this.

amenity

Oh Essex Gurl you are so right, investment is the key. The government would rather spend on prisons than prevention.
Must be perceived by government that there is more money and control in prisons.

We have a curios attitude towards the needy in this country for instance we give better education to the rich, and it is said by this same rich group that they are superior by birth, so why do they need better education?

A teacher friend, someone who had tought at fee paying and state schools said the teachers addressed pupils at fee paying schools thus; "When you leave here you will be managers of others etc etc."

At state schools teachers address pupils along these lines " If you study you might get a job, if you don't bother god help you"

Needles to say the former group leave school ready to take up their profession, looking forward to their rightful position in life.

EssexGurl

I'll probably sound old fashioned but its about time people were helped to stay at home and look after their kids. I know why people have to work, but we are passing along the responsibilities of bringing up our kids to other people. Now my youngest is at school I am always being asked when are you going to get a job. Its as if my 4 yr old doesnt need me anymore in their eyes. I am here at home when my kids come home from school, I pick the youngest up from school. I encourage them to do their homework and tell them when they go out to play what time they have to be in and ask where they are going. To many of their friends go home to an empty house because mum and dad are at work. Older friends of mine have spoken of the past when there were loads of youth clubs all over the town and there was always something to do and how they dare not give any lip to any adult. Its about time we started to see our kids as our responibility and not someone who has nothing to do with us once we can't see them.

It would also be nice if some of the other people about were a little more welcoming. I was once refused entry into an empty restaurant as I had my youngest in a buggy. If we had had a wheel chair he wouldnt have dared to have done that but a buggy is a pain and in the way in their eyes. I have to say I always had put the buggy out of the way and the baby was asleep. If we keep making kids feel like they arent worth the bother the more they'll believe it and lose any respect for themselves and their enviroment.

amenity

You are spot on with your analysis Essex Gurl just the other day a report came out showing the relationship between children from a very young age in the care others ie nurseries and unrulyness and antisocial behavoir.
I'll try to find this report.

As you say we need to put our kids future first and so does government, unfortunately all they say after a disaster is we will have to learn from this.

I have always thought what is behind the scheme to send mothers of young children out to work and then employ someone else to 'mind' them. 'Mind' is not love.

I suppose this jiggery pokery with the employment stats makes certain departments look better than they really are.

The downside is, the very most important job any human being can do is bring up the next generation and this is being sacrificed.