Ignoring, embarrassing or humiliating our kids....

[ardcarp]

Can we all expect a visit from the fuzz? OMG, the lawyers will make a killing out of this one.

[ahinton]

Can we all expect a visit from the fuzz? OMG, the lawyers will make a killing out of this one.

Which one? Did you intend to provide a link here?

[Barbirollians]

A rather silly opening post . Emotional harm and neglect is just as damaging as physical and sexual abuse to children . It isn't a laughing matter.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26814427

[ardcarp]

Thanks for posting up the link, Barbs. Of course it's a serious matter and yes I was being a bit silly (not the first on the Forum tho'). However I am probably not the only one to foresee the effect such legislation will have on the relationship between some stroppy, manipulative teenagers and their teachers/parents. Scenario: Worried parent 'humiliates' 14-year-old by removing him/her from unsuitable party in small hours of morning. He/she phones childline. Social workers get involved. They will have yet more things to get wrong (has anyone read Camiolla Cavendish on the unintended emotional abuse that involvement with Social Services can wreak on a family?) But
of course there are cases where children are deliberately victimised by parents. How is a new law going to be practical in these circumstances? Will there be big brother cameras in every household? And can one imagine the field day lawyers and expert witnesses will have?

I am lucky to have wonderful children and grandchildren and have been unaffected by any of thee 'issues'. But I am all too aware of the teenage social networking world and can see where all this might lead.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Ignoring children is one of the things I see most often. It often involves a parent walking along the street holding a young child by the hand, holding a mobile phone in the other hand and having a long, loud, crass conversation with someone else who isn't there. How important does that make the child feel?

We used to restrict the amount of our children's television viewing. When they tried to get round this by devious methods, we cut the TV lead and inserted a lawn mower adapter, which could be removed at any time. Other parents thought this was a great idea, but went on to say: "We wouldn't dare do it ourselves."

Feeble.

[ardcarp]

Ignoring children is one of the things I see most often. It often involves a parent walking along the street holding a young child by the hand, holding a mobile phone in the other hand and having a long, loud, crass conversation with someone else who isn't there. How important does that make the child feel?

...something I feel VERY strongly about too. But a legal fix? How?

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

it is a short step from this to licensing people as parents ... i feel quite strongly that we should desist from being quite so rude about the staasi &c and examine our own impulses to control ban and secretly inform [currently a massive social phenomena]

perhaps we should recoil from the 'something must be done' response so characteristic of Mr BlairBrown and NuLab as well as the CoalPartners and ponder rather more on what might be done and its implications ...