To think David Cameron has a nerve setting standards for good parenting?

[echt]

You couldn't make it up, though to be fair he thinks everyone is bit shit and needs Tory guidance, not just the feckless proles, for once.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/10/david-cameron-parents-children-lessons#comments

Sure start centres HAD FREE PARENTING CLASSES, YOU NOBBER.

FFS.

And yes to everything mathanxiety said, with bells on.

I attended a parenting class for parents of children with asd/suspected asd. I enjoyed it especially meeting other parents in a similar situation. I would say alot of the advice was similar to what I already did though.
what would have made the most difference to our family would have been the following:

1. Not having to spend 18 months in the waiting list for an asd assessment. (DS now has a diagnosis of aspergers). During which time I was refused help from camhs as ds was already on a pathway.

2. proper help 3 years ago when I first went to camhs with my ds. I had one appointment and was told to carry on with all my strategies and things would be fine.

3. For his primary school to have taken his problems seriously and extra help to be given.

I have nothing against parenting courses and would consider another one but they should not be used instead of proper professional help.

I think this is designed to appeal to the significant quotient of Tory voters who think everything from poor school readiness to punk rock is caused by single mothers.

Paying for their kids would go a long, long way to making life easier for families when the man has moved on. Turning up on a weekend afternoon for a few hours and taking the children to McD's is not the panacea DC or others may imagine it is when a woman is trying to keep a home heated, keep groceries in the kitchen, battle mould that the landlord won't do anything about but tell her to turn on the heat.

When it comes to parenting, don't underestimate the effect of stress and frustration caused by grinding poverty or having to deal with a man whose only aim in keeping in touch with his children is to show their mother who is the boss.

I agree with Werksallhourz

And services which we use shorthand of Sure Start for, existed before that label (and premises) came in, and by and large continued. Though they were more targeted at those perceived to be in need.

I think the restoration of universality is a good thing, and the first glimmer of the start of spending on services again.

And of course, it's very unusual for there to be a policy with such long time-lines to show any effect whatsoever. It's always a Cinderella (like preventative medicine).

Can't help thinking that he's absolutely right when he says "families are the best anti-poverty measure ever invented".

Where would most of the Tory cabinet be if it weren't for the support of their generous families? I mean you can't afford to be a member of the Bullingdon club by getting an evening job stacking shelves - where would you find the time for a start?

No, if more of us would send our children to Eton (or atleast a very select state school), our children would have a much better start in life.

Now we've all got to be tiger mothers as well.

Don't statisticians say that children of parents who read parenting books tend to do better not because of the contents of said books but because of the type of parent that will read them, surely a similar logic must apply to classes on 'good' parenting?

It all seems a bit of an empty gesture, there are very practical and real issues which directly affect parents which the money could have gone into - not closing sure start centers for a start and better funding CAMHS.

I think for a relatively small investment it could do quite a lot of good. But yes, true that this was just the sort of thing the Children's Centres (such as I worked in) did before so many closed or services cut right back.
Also it wolud never make up for under-resourcing of other essential sevices and sup
port

I thin

HaHa, My computer had a funny turn!
MNHQ - feel free to edit

YANBU - complete denial of many many problems such as poverty, child poverty, children being hungry, lack of social mobility, schools having to cope with social problems, lack of investment in schools, low pay, benefit cuts and so on.

Instead, he has shown just how out of touch he really is- blaming things on poor parenting, family breakup and suggesting 'poor people' don't discipline their children and if they were tiger parents problems would be solved. Yet at the same time, lps and many parents living in poverty are having to work all hours and make do with any childcare they can find. How on earth would they be tiger parents at the same time. The man has grown up in a bubble and doesn't know any 'poor people' so for him it is far more convenient to see them as other and to blame them, rather to face up to greed and inequality perpetuated by him and his peers

The issue I have is that were lots of other opportunities available that services could support parents but these are either going or gone.

And you could have easily parachuted in such a scheme quite easily along side other services but in my area:

Antenatal classes gone (privately available for £++)
Children's centres - going or services cut right back. Some will close though I have no doubt
Library services - cut massively. Our local one shut 4 months ago but the toddler reading time group went years ago
Named health visitor - gone unless a specific issue

I don't have any political allegiance but I'd have more respect for a party with joined up thinking and initiatives.

I don't understand how anyone could be in favor of what amounts to a stupidly big invasion of the state into family life. I don't have kids at the moment but if I do at any stage I will raise them the way I see fit, not the way any government sees fit.

and his bloody party will get the next election again, Labour are a shambles, and the others not strong enough.

HATE it when he says 'as a Father' 'as a family man'.

He cares FUCK about anyone but himself and his minions.

parenting??????? how much time do he and his wife spend with their kids? all nannies and homehelp.

fucking tosser.

It is fair enough to point out dirty homes but run down homes are down to the landlord.

I totally disagree with any nanny state intervention normally. However, I do think that there are some parents that could do with help or guidance with bringing up children and life skills in general. When I say this I have a few people in mind, such as the lady i see very day DCs are eating Wotsits and drinking fizzy pop on the way to school while she shouts and swears at them to get out of the f**ing road!

There are so many parents out there that have no family support, that have possibly grown up in chaotic households themselves and who have no idea how to run a home and bring up a child. We have already heard that children are less school ready than ever before, why is this? Children arrive at school without breakfast or proper lunches so the schools have had to take over feeding them. This is all necessary because some parents for whatever reasons are failing.

I realise there are many other factors that also need to be addressed to improve family life and this alone is not the answer but it can't do any harm either.

I think this is totally part of a very skewed ideology.

Talking of the CSA I had a phone call the other day, regarding an apparent arrears of [££] which I wasn't aware is still owed to me by ex.

They rang me to ask what I wanted them to do about it. Option A was, write it off.

really?

Option B was transfer it to the CMS (er - yeah)
Option C was 'has he maybe already given it to you in person?' !!! If he had I'd probably still be unconscious from the surprise.

The government seems to think that absent fathers need more protection from poverty than their children do.

It's really strange.

I don't see the problem. It's free and optional. Just don't go if you don't feel you would find it helpful.

It's not so much the parenting classes that are a problem. I think all the parties have suggested them st one time or another. there are plenty of people who would like them or benefit from them.

The problem is offering parenting classes (and from the article relationship classes?) against a background of reduced legal aid, cuts to children's services and other state provision.

There is no parenting class that can feed the electricity metre when there just isn't enough money, force an absent father to take responsibility, help a family who need practical help because of illness or disability or help a child whose parents need a social worker, not a class.

However, framing the problem as feckless parents not knowing what's good for them is a great excuse to reduce services further.

I've never heard of parenting classes that talk about dirty homes. They usually focus on communication, relationships, developing cooperation, the role of play etc.

The problem is that this is so hypocritical of the tories.

They hate the nanny state but only when areas of policy which they think companies know best eg they failed to introduce legal requirements on landlords to have property which is of a standard fit for humans!?!? But they want parenting classes.

Disgusting

I wish someone had sent Dave's parents to a parenting class and taught him how to share

Pah! isn't this the same bloke wot left his kid in the pub by accident? Actually forgetting you've taken your child to the pub WITH YOU is a bit of a parenting no-go - even for my shambolic standards!

Oh Knobblyknee and BrideOfWankenstein beat me to my little jest - poo

Still, hasn't changed my opinion of him.

Oh, for goodness sake- will people stop going on about the pub incident? That's something that could happen to anyone.

And it's distracting from the real point.

alreadytaken "I wish someone had sent Dave's parents to a parenting class and taught him how to share"