Toxic Childhood
Sue Palmer
How the modern world is damaging our
children and what we can do about it.
Not only did the title Toxic
Childhood jump out at me and cry to be read - but I was pulled towards
the words and what we can do about it.
All too often we are told what is wrong
with society/parenting/environment and more, but seldom told how we can so
something to redress the balance.
So, has the author accomplished what she
set out to do? Does she answer the burning question what is
happening to our children? The media feeds us alarming statistics
about the increasing number of children who are diagnosed with
developmental disorders. Certainly some of these figures can be put
down to better diagnosis and awareness. What is alarming is the authors
suggestion that parents these days prefer a medical diagnosis to
problems once simply labelled under-achievement. Is this progress or
not?
In Toxic Childhood we learn that
even as the proportion of children diagnosed with special needs has
increased, so has the proportion of children that do not have a specific
disorder but are just distractible, impulsive or badly behaved.
Palmer reminds us (and perhaps we do
need reminding) that in this fast-changing world the needs of children are
are same as they ever were. The top of that list is that they need
time, attention, communication and love from the people closest to them.
So read Toxic Childhood to
discover ways of de-toxing children. At the end of each chapter are
some guidelines and age-old words of wisdom adapted to fit contemporary
culture. Some of the issues covered are on de-toxing mealtimes, the
great outdoors, sleep habits, and much much more. Watch out for the
food our children eat, the amount of exercise and sleep. In other words
find a balance between technology and human needs. This is what the author
set out to do, and she has succeeded. Read Toxic Childhood.
Published by Orion Books
£12.99 ISBN:0-75287-359-8
available
from
Review published 28 may 2006 © Jill
Curtis 2002
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