Children.

Tom asked: "Are our generation bringing up our children correctly. I'm worried that my kids are not being nurtured strong enough to deal with the problems they will come up against in everyday life. Even my parents say I'm not doing enough! I welcome your sage advice."

How many time have you heard the mantra from the wrinkled tendency "The problem with young people today is" which is then followed by a long list of gripes. This complaining comes from the crinklies suffering from an early onset of a reverse form Alzheimer. Because, I'm convinced that they have all forgotten what they did in their youth. 

Some of the crinklies only hang on to dear life, just to complain about any kids playing football in the street. Then their complaints then turn towards the parents - who apparently don't make their children leave their toys and get out and play. Yet, to listen to them, they had childhood privations to die for.  In their day kids had to be tough enough to fight off childhood diseases like mumps, rickets and diphtheria. These are the same people who apparently did not know when to come in out of the rain!

It seems that the coffin dodgers are qualified to complain because their childhood houses were cold and damp. And you could tell the change of season when their Wellington tops were turned down. There they are, all sat around in their centrally heated, double glazed, highly insulated mind coffins. Their feet enclosed in fur-lined mono slippers. Eagerly watching for the bargain in the thousands of unwanted items on Bid up TV. With cinema quality, surround sound, quadraphonic stereo linked to their 56 inch plasma screens. Which they control with the three buttons on the remote they understand. These people don't stand up to change channel so how can they complain about our children.

These are the same ones who until they hit the state pension smoked 60 a day. Then their health began to deteriorate rapidly. It's only then they wonder why some bits including their minds don't work. These are the same ones who have new hips joints fitted because they can.  These are the same ones who have a free bus pass but still pop round the corner to the shops once a week in their 1988 fiat uno with under three thousand miles on the clock.

My Skool photo (back row right)

Tom, your generation were responsible for starting out on conservation. Protecting our world that we enjoy today. Our kids are going to be the ones working on fixing the problem of pollution. Guess which generation ruined the planet and which generation ignored the issues. Today many of our kids are university educated and in real terms very sophisticated. Many can claim knowledge of a second or third language and they are comfortable with any kind of new technology. Not just the TV remote.

You're doing a good job.

Regards.

Uncle Mort.