Into the dark wood
My father died long ago. I now understand that he was part of the lost world of the stoical conservative…
ByChildhood
On TikTok, familiar childhood dynamics are pathologised
From “gifted kid burnout” to “eldest daughter syndrome”, influencers are rebranding familiar human experiences as a trauma diagnosis.
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The cheering sounds of childhood
Innocent, childlike play is one of the great delights of life. We should try to keep in touch with it.
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We must nourish children’s sense of wonder
Nothing is more character-forming than enthusiasm for the natural world, and the openness and attentiveness it fosters.
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The Nordic parenting myth
Scandinavians are not better parents – but their politicians, unlike Britain’s, understand that childcare is a social good.
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A boyhood built on fear
The cruelties of Maidwell Hall boarding school, described by Charles Spencer in his memoir, have blighted my adult life.
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We’ve forgotten what skin looks like
Something is wrong when ten-year-olds are seeking out anti-ageing products.
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Fear about young adults’ maturity is just a way of trying to control them
Better to help this generation of Peter Pans find their way out of Neverland.
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How Big Tech made us screen addicts
Gaia Bernstein’s Unwired argues that smart devices are engineered to keep our children hooked. Can we hold the industry to…
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A childlike wonder at the world’s everyday beauty is best left to grown-ups
I feel the more experience we have of the world – not less – the more deeply we feel what…
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“It’s constant anxiety”: inside the crisis in child social care
The murders of Star Hobson and Arthur Labinjo-Hughes revealed shocking shortcomings in the UK’s social care system. What is being…
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Does punishing adults for their childhood mistakes really improve society?
The Marc Bola case is the latest example of the dangers of a culture of retrospective shame.
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The top children’s TV show conspiracy theories
From randy Postman Pat to white supremacist Smurfs, we present to you your childhood in tatters.
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The minimum cost of raising a child to adulthood: £83,000
New research by Child Poverty Action Group shows that the cost of raising a child threatens to tip an increasing…
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