You
can tell from the title that you’re not getting a dictatorial
parenting book here, but the smiley happy pen and ink drawings of
an old-style American family on the front cover certainly don’t
give the game away.
The
latest addition to the already groaning shelves of self-help parenting
books is bound to raise a giggle, a chuckle, and perhaps even a disapproving
eyebrow to anyone who takes it too seriously.
American
mother of two Christie Mellor has written We Were Here First, Kid!
A Practical Guide to Happy Parenting (Simon and Schuster £8.99)
as a form of written rebellion – putting the parents back as
bosses of the house.
Don’t
be put off though – her practical and very funny approach takes
hold of some modern-day child-rearing issues and sprinkles them with
a dash of old fashioned common sense.
If
any of our readers are old enough to think back to the 1950s and 60s
when you were only allowed sweets on a Friday and had to eat up all
your greens, then they’ll enjoy this mix of musings and advice.
Mellor
promises to hand the reins back to the parents and by doing so help
the children to happier lives. She blames modern marketing culture
and parental exhaustion for the way they give in in many areas –
from bedtime, to toy buying, to extra-curricular activities. Though
much of what she writes is with her tongue firmly placed in her cheek,
she does make many valid points.
Middle
class parents get the most criticism. She cites the problems being
stored up for the future when the father of one of her children’s
friends, tells his four-year-old that punching is ‘inappropriate’
instead of explaining that it is mean and wrong to hurt someone. She
suggests that using fancy words to pussyfoot round serious subjects
can only lead the children of such parents to become bullies and brats.
So
scared are parents of hurting their little ones’ feelings, she
claims, that they simply don’t make things clear. She calls
for parents to practise saying ‘no’ to their children
a little more often, so that they ultimately appreciate what they
have and stop taking treats and trips for granted.
The
book is printed in old-fashioned typeface and dotted with 50s style
drawings throughout, and full of case studies and scenarios bound
to strike a chord with most modern parents. A good Easter gift for
worn out parents – and better for you than chocolate eggs.
