Episode 5

Synopsis

How to raise a happy, well-adjusted child is one of the biggest sources of angst for modern parents. Child psychologists Laverne Antrobus and Oliver James discuss this challenge.

British society has a reputation for being intolerant towards children - they should be seen but ideally not heard. And according to sections of the media, the reason that Britain is Broken is because unruly and badly brought up children are running wild, ignored by hopeless parents. So what has gone so badly wrong with our approach towards children? How can it be improved? Should we send our children to day-care, or remain at home during their formative years? What kind of upbringing drives children to commit horrendous crimes, like the Bulger killers? On Between Ourselves today we are joined by two child psychologists who discuss all of this. Laverne Antrobus has worked on TV programmes like 'The House of Tiny Tearaways', ITV's 'This Morning' and BBC Four's 'Who Needs Dads?', she's an author, and works as an educational psychologist at the Tavistock clinic in London. Oliver James has written best-selling books including 'They F*** you Up' and 'Affluenza'. He's also appeared on 'This Morning' putting into practice his theory of 'love-bombing' as a way of coping with challenging children.