Paranoid Parenting Abandon your anxieties and be a good parent Frank Furedi Frank Furedi has seized the nettle and taken a long and hard look at all the dire warnings which are constantly aimed at parents on the subject of caring for their child. Reading Furedi’s book started off by raising my anxiety level, since he takes us through the numerous campaigns which aim at convincing us that our children are in daily danger with regard to health, weight problems, paedophiles, stranger danger, safety issues and many more perils! I had not realized just how parents are bombarded about what to do, or not to do, and criticized which ever way they turn. So much so, that it is hard for parents to trust their own judgement. We have come to believe that unless we are super-vigilant our children will be killed by play equipment, abducted or worse. The parents I have spoken to are confused about the different advice they are given - so much so that being warned of all the risks that surround our children, there is no wonder that they are in danger of becoming ‘paranoid’. And in a way Furedi hands the responsibility back from the ‘experts’ to the parents and almost gives them permission to do it in ‘their way’ However, Furedi can’t have it all ways. He admonishes parents for driving their kids to school, and yet says at the same time, there is less danger on the roads and fewer children are involved in road accidents, and surely the health warnings given to women, who are trying to conceive are to be welcomed. But Frank Furedi’s Paranoid Parenting will help you to make up your own minds about the risks facing your kids today. With all the facts at your finger tips you can make your own choice. This book will make you think, or re-think, your views on parenting. So, don’t panic - relax, and enjoy bringing up baby in the way which feels right for you. © Jill Curtis 2002  Published by Allen Lane The Penguin Press  paperback   £9.99     ISBN 0713994886 and is available  from