My friend makes me want to scream in her approach to child rearing. She never even taught her (3) kids their alphabet: that's what school is for, apparently.

They were actually barred from our village pub because they were never under control. Whenever we took our daughter to the pub, we brought books, paper, colouring stuff - and when she was older games, cards, etc. And we all interacted as a family. Nicola and her husband would sit and chat to friends while the kids ran wild. Of course, when the kids got barred she was very cross. "But they're just children. That's how children behave..."

When they went abroad for the first time, the kids were so unruly on the plane that there were complaints from other passengers. One man apparently said, "Your children have ruined my holiday, and it hasn't even started." She found this very funny. I would have been mortified. Again, her mantra: "Well, they're just children - what do people expect...?"

Parameters and discipline. That's what kids need. And sometimes it's the parents who need a spanking.