A lament for Blighty
Britain is going to the dogs, some say
THE Home Counties are horrified. The British Show Jumping Association has asked police to investigate claims that a mother of two doped ponies in an attempt to help her child win a championship. (Bystanders said they had seen her feeding sweets to the steeds.) Though the police have dropped the matter, mothers at gymkhanas will eye each other even more suspiciously henceforth. Pushy parents are everywhere, it seems, and childhood tainted.
Indeed, the Daily Telegraph published a lament for lost childhood on September 12th. More than 100 worthies, including Penelope Leach, a child-care guru, and Philip Pullman and Jacqueline Wilson, well-known writers of children's books, complained that junk food, video games and over-competitive schools were making children sad. They needed more “real play” (perhaps with sticks in woods) and more time with “significant adults” (ie, parents).
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “A lament for Blighty”
From the September 16th 2006 edition
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