Part of raising a child with love is about giving them boundaries, Smedley. And a huge part is about teaching them self-respect and respect for others, because if they know those two things, they ain't going to go too far wrong.

I am not into woolly thinking 'let it be' parents, they are almost as bad as people who beat their kids, because they raise children who have no guidelines and who often grow up as angry as the ones who were beaten.

Love is not about being ignored and left to get on with things. It's about learning what's right and what's wrong, and knowing that you have to make the right choices. It's about supporting and it's about being there...

It's also about being bloody tired out, because you have to put your children first, rather than yourself..and in the 60s and 70s the 'self' often overshadowed all else.

Raising a child is hard, it's time consuming, LIFE consuming, but it's also deeply rewarding.

The 'gang' has now replaced the family...and with that has come oh so many problems..