Unicef: out of all the industrialised nations Britain comes bottom.

[Callisto]

Anyone suprised? The full report is here: unicef report

hhmmmmm

my first instinct was to not believe this research, and if its true alot was comp[iled by questionnaire then I think talking to Bristish teenagers is going to get you a lot of negative answers LOL (I work with 16 year olds, trust me on this). However- then it occurred to me the disparity in this country.

yes many kids have the fab things listed below, many don't

There are not NHS dentists for all in this country, some areas have none.

The schools situation isn't clear cut- yes free education is fab and we are blessed; but there are some extremely poor schools and unfortunately they tend to serve the kids who need quality education the most

Good Tv is fab- but shouldn't TV be secondary priority in age when so many of our parks and green spaces are being sold to developers or just not being created?

Housing might be offically available for all- but everyone knows that isnt the case. Children end up being raised in grotty drug holes or on new esattes 5 miles away from the nearest amenity or source of fresh food, becoming isolated by geography

The NH- great invention. But look closer and you will see extremly vulnerable kids (those who have sn) waiting years for assessments, speech therapy, OT- where I ive, there IS no SAlt any more, the salt left and nobody wants the job.

Communities that reject people for differences- after all we were asked to leave our old Church by the Vicar because our AS child had a foot tapping Vicar that annoyed her

A 24 / 7 culture that means many Dads work shifts completely incompatible with parenting, leaving Mothers isolated and vulnerable to family breakdown

A public transport system that keeps people down and prevents mobility for work, leisure etc

LeA's that fight to keep children in unsuitable placements because of funding.........

My best friend moved from the UK to California and she says she would much rather raise her two children here for many reasons:

They have to pay for school. And the schools are worse - she says 'dumbed down'.

Gun crime and security everywhere aged five

They have to pay for healthcare.

Noone she know breastfed - it was considered weird - she expressed every feed.

Few opportunities to meet with other parents. Only la leche and baby massage - nothing else in her large town.

long work hours and short holidays (10 days)

Poor food - the supermarkets had awful food when I looked.

they have to drive everywhere as no pavements near their house

No languages taught.

ok - the weather is better - but not always! and they have to put up with Bush!

I have to pay for healthcare!!!!! In the UK! Because otherwise my disbled son cant have access to support because nobody wants to work in the NHS any mroe and so its not available

The only shops in our (surprisingly large but well hidden) town are 2 saprs, 6 hairdressers and a couple orf bizzarre gift shops. There is a veg shop but so far out that most people can only acess if they have a car 9and there are big council estates here. Fresh / good food just doesn't happen unless you have a car

There are no opportunities for parents to meet up, and no childcare for anyone whose child is less than NT

Dh works a 50 hour week, everyone does in his industry- and its night shifts too

Consitions vary

Scully - Why would I feel safer raising teenagers in London than as small town?

The main reason is that London was where I was raised, and despite lots of drinking, parties on the heath and even teenage sex, I felt safe there myself and was never bored.

I'm not saying a city is better per se, but my perception of small towns is that there is more boredom and more (concentrated) violence.

I think that in a lot of places there is little for teenagers to do but hang about, with fast-food joints being about the only place they feel safe and welcome indoors.

In London there is always space to escape someone or something you want to avoid. And its fun!

NB - NZ is certainly not the land of milk and honey (except literally), but Maori people are represented everywhere in NZ - in all industries and on TV. This doesn't happen in Australia, as far as I have seen.

I am sad that you have to pay for essential care for your child. That is wrong. I guess the only thing I can add is that everyone has to pay for everything in the US - there is a lot of fantastic care in the nhs - my family has had a very different experience, so far, thank heavens.

my california friend lives in santa barbara - a rich priveleged area and the food/education/healthcare is still shocking for someone without stacks of money - what on earth is it like in a deprived area?

Putting my "disgusted of Tunbridge Wells' cap on, I wonder whether we started out disliking kids or if it is started with the total lack of respect and manners?

On Friday, following the recent killings in South London and subsequent press coverage of gang culture in this country, I was in an 'out of town shopping centre' in S London.

The teenagers hanging around were rowdy, aggressive and totally out of control. They were swearing loudly, driving around and generally menacing anyone who had the misfortune of going about their business.

Today, a couple of joyriders zoomed into the supermarket carpark, music blaring loudly. They made straight for the parent and child bays, and started swearing abuse at each other across the car park. I didn't dare even meet their eyes because I was with the two babies and too scared.

Did we always hate teenagers, or is this now a symptom of a social mood against a group that are perceived to be 'untouchables'? It is a shame that the vast majority of law-abiding youngsters are shunned because of the behaviour of a few thugs.

Now I fully expect to be lambasted from a great height for saying this, but I wish I could just go about my daily life without constant fear of the ASBO generation.

After just becoming a mum in Japan and being 1 month in the UK as a mum, I think there are good and bad in both countries.
The pluses in the UK:

The NHS- I think its amazing that everyone gets a chance at having free healthcare. You dont have to show any <strong>identity documents</strong> let alone an insurance card in order to be treated. Immigrants and poor people are treated, just like that. A friend of mine in the US has a debt of 70,000 pounds or so, because he was treated for cancer when he was a student, and wasnt insured!

The chance to enter university- THey changed the system from a student grant to a loan the year before I went to uni but still I and my brothers would never have been able to go without the loan. THere is no way our parents could ever have afforded the tuition fees. Its possible for anyone in the UK who wants to go to uni, to go. In JApan it depends on money. You also have to pay for highschool too here. I think education is a basic right, and anyone who wants it should not have to pay.

Benefits to single mothers, and family allowance:
I receive 25 pound a month from the Japanese government for my baby. Thats it. And they give it in 4 monthly enstallments. THere are no benefits for single mothers, and you are basically reliant on your husband or family for financial well-being. Very scary actually.

The pluses in Japan:

Breastfeeding is the norm here, although it seems to be getting like that in the UK. But when I was in the UK, I had some weird comments like "Are you feeding her yourself? ARent you brave?" It means that breastfeeding in public is fine in Japan, and "Are you breastfeeding" is a comment that everyone asks you, even shopkeepers (expecting the answer to be yes). In the UK, you wouldnt ask that of a complete stranger, because its a loaded question. (they also ask "are you using cloth nappies" )

People are kind to children and mothers here. If my baby is screaming, waitresses ask "ooo, could you let me hold your baby", then they have a look of rapture on their face if I let them.

If I want to take my baby out late at night to a shopping centre or whatever, Im delighted to see that there are loads of other babies out and about, so I donT feel that I`m keeping my baby up past her bedtime.

i just had a thought that the "anti- social" behavour of young people in the UK and associated violence and drinking could be cultural.
At a glance, Japanese youth seem much more well-balanced than those in the UK. No violence or anti social behaviour. This is such a safe country- you can leave your car running outside while you do something in the house. But the teenage suicide rate here is sky-high, and the crimes that kids do commit here are really henious. (Last year an 8 year old girl killed her best friend with a razor blade at school- totally premeditated) So youth in Japan keep their anger inside and take it out on themselves, whereas in the UK they tend to lash out at other teenagers more and against authority. I have to say, I prefer the UK method of dealing with anger and sadness.
Also, regarding abuse and neglect, there is not so much of it in Japan in the sense of not washing/feeding your kids properly, or smacking them. BUT parents put tremendous pressure on their kids to succeed in whatever direction the parents want because the childs performance reflects them. Much more so than in the UK. There isnt much personal freedom. I see this as a kind of abuse.
so the survey is inherently flawed, really because you cant measure childrens happiness by how poor they are. I also think that th UK society is less focused on money than other societies. we all accept that a socialist government is the best for everyone, even though it means high taxes, for example. sweden is the best example of this.

Well said newgirl!

Also agree (again!) with Adereryn's last post.

"Parents aren't valued by the workforce because they take too much time off when their kids are sick and they have to juggle their hours around childcare and then school holidays. The school year is set up in such a way that the six week summer holiday is a major headache for most parents and employers".

I personally think the whole school year thing should be looked at again; the six weeks holiday's original purpose was to get children to help with the harvest.

I would agree with Wordsmith's comments, the amount of stick that working parents get (mainly from non parents) is unbelievable.

The Mail (urgh) ran an article on this subject about a week ago and called it "womb wars". Its very sad; employers to my mind are failing all their employees regardless of whether they are parents or not. Any idea of flexible working is anathema to many employers.

I live in quite a prosporous looking town in the SE (well it has a Waitrose so it must be prosperous!). However, there are cracks beneath the surface and you will find pockets of poverty and social deprivation here.

People here do generally keep themselves very much to themselves. I know my neighbours by sight and name but that's it. You rarely see people walking around the estate I live on. The occasional dog walker but rarely anyone on their own.

There are playgroups for the little ones and groups like Scouts etc BUT there is nothing for children here to do between the ages of say 12-18. There's no cinema in this town for instance; btw the nearest cinema complex to here is not served by any bus route. Town planning at its finest not!. There is a swimming pool yes but that's taken over at the weekends by adults who don't want to mix with children let alone teens.

Attilla (sorry fro hijack) can I get your help on my letter thread in education???? thanks so much

(sorry!)