Parenting is too important to be left to parents alone

Back in the 1950s, my parents raised my sister and I as they thought right. They gave us a caring, nurturing and stimulating environment, both physically and mentally. I don't recall being physically chastised, although it may have happened. We were brought up in a loving home, with what seems, years later, an appropriate mixture of discipline and boundary setting. We spent car journeys playing memory, mental arithmetic and word games.

When he arrived home from his work, my father told us made-up stories before bedtime, still wearing his work suit. We were taken to the village library every Saturday when my parents borrowed books, and so did we. Some of the nurturing was delivered by the state, and I clearly recall being taken to the village hall to endure my weekly cod liver oil supplement. And at that time, processed sugary foods were much less prevalent than now, so healthy eating was the norm.