Should responsible parents have to pay?

MUCH has been said about providing free dinners for children, but has anyone really looked really at the budgeting of their parents?

Working for the Police, I came across several cases which mirrored the theme of Home Alone where parents left their young children all day and most of the night with fizzy pop and a family pack of crisps. Parents’ responsibility only kicked in when in a custody suite.

How many parents prioritise their social life, drink, cigarettes, and drugs over the welfare of their children, along with their responsibilities to covering their housing costs, council tax and utilities? These are the facts of reality.

If supermarkets really want to help feed children, then emphasis needs to be placed on their pricing and products.

How many parents opt for convenience and feed children on junk food and high sugar products, beyond a weekly treat and as a substitute for important meals?

How many parents are still children when having children, which is why Surestart was created. With the aim of “giving children the best possible start in life” through improvement of childcare, early education, health, and family support.

My parents, along with a lot of others would have been deemed as boring, as they prioritised their children, ensuring they were fed and clothed, along with providing a home.

Finally, parents need to take more responsibility for their children, rather than depending on the State. Do we need to go down the route of the Chinese in the 1990s in respect a one-child policy?

Because at the end of the day, everyone is paying to look after other families’ children, when some chose not to take on that responsibility to have children for various reasons.

Tony Morris Carlton