By their nature, children are explorers, that is how they learn, about themselves, others and life in general. To expect them to do otherwise is to deny the very nature of children; it is what they are SUPOSED to do and is how they grow up. The role of adults is to create a society in which this process has some controls, boundaries and limits in order to give those children the opportunity to reach maturity without destroying themselves or society in the process.

The more complex/chaotic the society is, the harder that is to achieve. In a complex/chaotic society where adults struggle to cope, it is inevitable that children will also have chaotic life experiences and indulge in "chaotic" behavior. For a parent/parents to create a safe but enriching life experience in those circumstances calls for exceptional skills and talents. The reality is that most parents can't do it, that is why, for example, they move house to the "quieter" suburbs with better schools, more space, less pressures, if they have the resources.

That leaves the least able members of society bringing up children in the most complex and chaotic conditions. It is into these circumstances that interventions from the law, government (ie social work, economic measures, education) and religion (social support, control, hope!) attempt to address the balance. From experience we know that, despite best intentions, these interventions are just as likely to make the problem worse as they are to help.

Society as a whole is under tremendous pressure, especially with the reality of the global economy. The truth is, I believe, that we just don't have the human resources to cope in such a complex and dangerous world and still have the freedoms that we cherish. Controlled societies (Japan, Communist states) create order and structure, which helps the mass of their citizens, organise their lives with fewer complex choices but they also have their downsides too. (Totalitarian power for the few which inevitably becomes corrupting, or horrendous pressure to conform and think only in one way, for example.)

I know there are exceptions to the above points but that is my point, they ARE exceptions, it is finding a way for the mass of humanity, not the exceptional people, to survive in today's world. Maybe someone knows how to make it work, can see a light at the end of the tunnel, I can't, but then I am just one of that mass of people struggling to survive in an increasingly complex world and finding it almost impossible.

Shut up Johnny, turn that bloody music down!! Here's a tenner, go and play outside, I am knackered………………………………….

PS, anyone know of a nice island somewhere where I can live for less than £700 a month with good folk music, a free health service, plenty of room, and no crime?