Parents victimised by 'blame culture'

The role of parents has come under fire in recent years

Parents are being attacked from all angles and it is destroying their confidence in how to bring up their children, say experts.

The National Family and Parenting Institute (NFPI) says there has been a steady stream of surveys criticising parents about their role.

It says that this must stop if parents are to cope.

Recent reports have blamed parents because their children are drinking too much, taking too many drugs and getting too fat.

We are in danger of becoming a nation of paranoid parents who have forgotten how to trust our judgement

Mary MacLeod
NFPI

Working mothers are also blamed for harming their children's educational achievement.

Those parents who send their child to childcare at an early age are bombarded with information about how they could be affecting their development.

Mary MacLeod, chief executive of the NFPI, said all the criticism is starting to take its toll on the confidence of parents.

Too paranoid

"We are in danger of becoming a nation of paranoid parents who have forgotten how to trust our judgement.

"Families are bombarded with conflicting advice about everything from what kids should be eating to how long they should be sleeping.

"Alongside this, just about everything in modern life is supposed to be bad for our children.

"Computers, TV, the internet, how long we spend at work, not working at all, being a lone parent, being divorced ... the list is endless and it is easy to forget that most parents know a lot about what is good for their children," she said.

Mrs MacLeod said parents were too often the easy target and that the press headlines are constantly blaming them for all the ills.

Mary MacLeod: "Families are bombarded with conflicting advice"

She called for more support for parents to enable them to cope.

"Parents don't raise their children in isolation from the world around them.

"They need help, support and recognition that what they do as parents is important and valued.

"They don't need more blame for the difficult times they find themselves in," she said.