As far as he is concerned, trouble lies in not hearing the voice of people like Nicki. Not so, says futurologist Martin Raymond. She's confronted by mother-of-six Lynette Burrows, who tells her: "Unless you are prepared to have children there is no future for the country".
On her quest for like-minded souls, Nicki visits a hotel and restaurant that "takes dogs but not children", goes to adult-only campsites, and visits a small business owner in Leicester who refuses to employ women of child-bearing age.īut it is not all plain sailing for Nicki. Supporting Nicki in her bid to educate the world is a motley crew of other contented non-parents, including writer Julie Bindel, comedienne Natalie Haynes, Loose Women presenter Carol McGiffin, and business woman Manda Rigby. In an over populated world, it is more responsible not to have children, Nicki believes.Ī life worrying about what the kids are up to is hardly fulfilling, she says, and in fact childfree people pay too much tax subsidising the ill-bred, badly behaved brats who run wild in public places and show their ingratitude by not giving up their seats on trains and buses. By doing so we perpetuate the human race, guarantee support in old age, and find personal fulfilment" - that is the conventional wisdom.īut the controversial author of Childfree and Loving It, Nicki Defago, begs to differ. He says: junk the instruction manuals, stand up to the nanny state, and forfeit the fear as you go forth and multiply. It is time for Britain's parents to have a temper tantrum of their own, John believes. Meanwhile, children are being denied the chance to learn initiative and independence.
Parents, says John, are losing their dignity as they get increasingly wrapped up in their children's lives. In the past, children used to orbit around their parents - now, it is the other way around. John presents a very personal Backlash in which he argues that the physics of parenting has changed, for the worse. Whatever happened to the idea that children are a joy and raising them is a natural instinct? Parenting has become the new DIY - too much work, too little fun, endless expense and constant scope for improvement.īut the more information we have the more paranoid we are becoming about whether we are up to the job. They promise solutions for our problems - from controlled crying and baby yoga, to parenting lessons, tracking devices and truancy fines. The nation's mums and dads have been sent to the naughty corner by experts and politicians, all claiming they know best when it comes to raising our kids, says John O'Farrell.
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