The word "spoilt" and its connotations have been besetting me on all sides. First, I happened to read Dr Aric Sigman’s The Spoilt Generation; this was followed by Theodore Dalrymple’s Spoilt Rotten! Then yesterday in the Telegraph, I found an article by Michael Deacon, with the headline, “Children need a firm parent before they need a friend”, suggesting that the old adage – "Spare the rod and spoil the child" – is actually true.
Dr Aric Sigman is a psychologist and a hands-on Dad with four children. His book is tough on namby-pamby parenting and in favour of tough love. The culture of instant gratification has led to "little emperors"; these terrorise their teachers and their parents (indeed, it is almost a criminal offence to smack our offspring) and generally demonstrate what happens if you give up on the idea of instilling boundaries, discipline and order at home.
