Sweden's liberal approach to parenting has bred a nation of ill-mannered brats, a leading expert has warned in a new book which calls on parents to seize back control of their families.
David Eberhard, who was a prominent psychiatrist before becoming a writer, warns in his new book, How Children Took Power, that Swedish parents are now unwilling to discipline their children in any way. Swedes in 1979 became the first to adopt a total smacking ban.
"We live in a culture where so-called experts say that children are 'competent' and the conclusion is that children should decide what to eat, what to wear, and when to go to bed," he said.
"If you have a dinner party, they never sit quietly. They interrupt. They're always in the centre, and the problem is that when they become young adults, they take with them the expectation that everything is centred around them, which makes them very disappointed."
He points to Sweden's growing truancy rates, a rise in anxiety disorders, and the country's declining performance in international educational league tables, as the tangible results of its liberal parenting approach.
To cure the problem, he advocates a return to "authoritarian" parenting. » | Richard Orange, Malmö | Friday, November 01, 2013
