I think that ship may have sailed. The current generation of parents we’re discussing were brought up in fractured and chaotic homes.I was a child in the 70s, my dad was a coal miner and we lived in a council house,ergo - we had f**k all.
Neither did 95% of the people who lived on our estate or in our village.
I was never in danger of starving, neither were any of the other kids - in fact, I was well fed, with cheap healthy and nutritious food, ie fruit and vegetables, with the odd bit of meat.
I know there is a world of difference between then and now, however - my parents did the best they could - no fancy cars, or holidays or unnecessary expenditure, the priority was putting food on the table and keeping a roof over our heads by paying bills on time.
Modern parents need to look at the sacrifices their parents made, and ask themselves if they are doing the same for their kids.
I’m a pad brat and I went to a boarding school courtesy of the Boarding School Allowance. All my friends are middle class and comfortable.
I continue to be shocked when I come across the chaotic lives that some people have or had.
I worked for the DWP for a couple of years. Some people end up on the brew because they’ve been dealt a shitty hand. Usually they get themselves out. For others it’s an inherited lifestyle choice. Not necessarily their fault. If your welfare depends on scrounging then, if you’ve got any nounce you’re going to be good at scrounging.
How society breaks that cycle and lifts these people up is a wicked problem.
Having been to some of the shittier parts of the world my sympathy for my people given free education, healthcare and social security can be a thin but it is really in all of our interests to do something.
Because this is Arrse I will mention that occasionally I wonder if a useful solution would be to invite the Luftwaffe to finish the job that we so rudely interrupted in the 40s.