Parents pushed to the limit

"It's more ranting and raving," she said. "It's more yelling . . . chronic bickering, put downs, irritability, not enjoying having the children around. Parents are chronically irritated."

If families are imploding, you don't need to think too hard to work out why. But we would be better served if we approached the situation logically and calmly and worked out the issues. Parents are pushed to the limit. From this area you cannot get to work by 5am or 8am if you want to  use public transport. Working hours are not 9-5. Working hours are odd and they change for a lot of people from one week to the next and then there is often little notice. Managing children within that is hard. Working conditions are hard for many. The long hours, the constant accountability and pressure, the dealing with cranky clients and unreasonable bosses who are obliged to instigate constant change for their CVs. Children have to be looked after. Some just leave it and don't put in the boundaries because they cannot be bothered...so then you have older children who are out of control, angry and they declare war on the parents. So the parents try and hide it or manage it or just resign themselves to it. A lot of homes are in crisis. Then there is the acquisitive society where the pressure is on to own and to have. To constantly upgrade, update and acquire. So no wonder parents are pushed to the limit. We do not have time, we do not have reasonable conditions and we do not have time to pace ourselves and think, so then you get self indulged, hostile children who want what they want when they want it and who are prepared to do harm to get their own way.