A very different world for today’s parents

I’m so glad I’m not raising children in today’s world.

Not just because there are events in today’s world we never dreamt of when my kids were young but due to the amount of advice being offered, whether by experts or the everyday person.

If I recall rightly (and there is no guarantee I can) when I fell pregnant with our first child I bought an enormous tome of a book all about pregnancy, birth and babies.

Whether I actually read much of it is debatable and, if I did, none of the information has stuck in my brain.

Other than that I basically flew by the seat of my pants — and the kids by the seat of their nappies.

There were no mothers’ groups, daycare or online advice.

We did have the phone just after our first son was born so I was able to chat to other mums, most of whom were older than me and, I dare say, quite amused by my naivety at times. Still, Hubby and I survived, as did the children.

They seem like reasonably well-adjusted adults today, so hopefully we did something right.

What stirred the idea of this column is the amount of media coverage — TV, radio, newspapers and online — around the issue of screen time for kids.

Screen time including, I assume, television, as well as modern screens such at tablets, phones and computers.

A mother desperate for just five minutes peace to sit on the loo puts bub in front of the TV, a mum who just has to finish the shopping before the store closes gives her phone to her toddler to occupy them or a dad shows his five-year-old how to play a game on the laptop.

All are being bombarded by information about the rights and wrongs of screen time.

When did parents become so helpless they couldn’t make any decisions around what is right for their child?

Some things are good for kids in moderation and others aren’t good for kids at all.

However, at the end of the day, parents are raising their children as best they see fit.

As long as children aren’t being physically and mentally abused then surely we can allow parents some leeway.

It may take a village to raise a child but a parent still has the right to make the best choice for their child.