Libby Purves - Spend time not money on your children

[spokette]

Here, here Libby! I really enjoyed reading this article.

She attacks the relentless and pervasive advertising that directly targets children but also has a go at parents from all backgrounds who don't spend enough time with the children but yet spend huge amounts of money on the latest gizmo to assuage their guilt.

Glad she had a pop at the middle class parents and not just the working class ones who always seem to bear the brunt of these types of tirades.

She says "Children need parents who genuinely ? though without spying and restricting ? want to know where they go, what they're drinking and with whom. They need adults to listen to their fears and feelings, and enlighten them ? with suitable levity ? on the rapacious absurdities of commerce. The ridiculous concept of ?quality time? does not fulfil this remit: children's confidences come out gradually, while a parent is cooking supper or walking to the shops with them.

That's why I chose to work part-time because ultimately, I want to spend more time with my DTS - something I could not do by working full time. I also know I'm lucky to have that choice.

I like Libby. She is very sensible. I even forgive her for having an imaginary sky-friend.

"When both parents (or the only available one) work and commute long hours to meet mad mortgages, and are battered in their turn by media shrieks that they deserve ?me time?, family structures crumble."

But let's not fall into the trap of blaming parents for this.

I seem to remember that she worked when her children were small so I'm not sure who she is having a go at here actually.

I like Libby too but I didn't like this article at all.