[aclivity]

<font color='#810541'>Bren,

do you have kids?  It's an honest enquiry - your views reflect my own, and I have 2 anklebiters now.

My take on your points is one which shifts with the wind.  Before I had the kids - less than 2 years ago in real time but feels like a lifetime ago (literally for my eldest, in learning terms for me)  - I used to get really angry about parents who dumped theur kids in front of the TV all day.  Now, my 21 month old daughter spends quite some time in front of the telly.  It keeps her occupied, she has certain favourites that she actually watches (Percy The Parkkeeper and Robot Wars.  Well maybe not robot wars, but I watch that so she HAS to), the rest of the time the TV is on but often ignored.
EDIT: when I say 'quite some time', I mean a lot of time by my standards, certainly not for more than a couple of hours all day, and not all in one go - after all, this is a little girl with wellies and there are puddles to be splashed in.

My daughter has a huge vocabulary for her age, and I'm sure that she has watched 'grown up' TV with her parents has helped, although I know that her being immobilised throughout the summer whilst she was recuperating from an operation helped - a childs brain, it seems, can only cope with learning to walk or learning to talk, not both!  She can hold conversations with us, albeit not very complex ones, in stark contrast to her little friends who seem to use only single words.  I put this down to the fact that Jo, my wife, actually TALKS to her and plays with her as much as possible during the day.

Then comes the other side - how does one teach a child to have a social responsibility? I don't think any amount of legislation or changes to how a once noble, altruistic profession such as teaching can be to blame.  I have to hope that I will instill my values in my children; not my views or politics, certainly, but my core value of respect for other people.  I worry - every day - that I will fail at this, but perhaps this where I draw my best hopes for success.  I do not intend to let fear of failing cause me to stop trying.  I also do not expect teachers or scout leaders or church leaders or whoever else to take that responsibility for MY children.

I'm rambling a bit, reflecting my confusion probably.  Perhaps it's because I'm relatively old to become a parent that I feel I owe my kids a lot of my time and attention?  I couldn't put my finger on one reason why some kids seem to come out as 'scrotes' and others don't; which scares the hell out of me for bringing up my own kids.  I just hope I spot any scrotiness before develops into a full blown personality, and can identify the cause when / if it happen?  

Andy