Expert me

I don't normally blog about work matters, but a recent experience I felt was rather blogworthy.

I sat in on an expert group. This isn't the first time I've done this, Ive served on or convened several steering groups. But usually I know a little something about the topic at hand. Recently though, I was in a group of eminent parenting experts. Academics, leaders in the voluntary sector, think tank gurus, high-up muckety-muck civil servants and me. And we were all gathered round the table to talk about the design of effective parenting interventions.

HA! I don't know nothin' about raisin' no babies.

Fair enough, I was there as a last minute substitute and it was important that someone from my organisation was there to oversee proceedings.

I deal in BS - it's part of my trade. Plus - I love expounding, so while for the most part I just listened to the "real" parenting experts* - when it came my turn to recommend policy prescriptions for better parenting initiatives I had a few things to say about interventions for oiks (Britspeak for the lower orders):

Are there no workhouses? Idle hands are the devil's workshop. Down the mines and up the chimneys for the ugly kids - cute ones can become child actors or match sellers - that should reduce the level of crime on the streets.

And as for the parents, I blame them. Control those children - it's not as if you're doing anything like work. Take a momentary break from daytime tv to get those kids signed up with a work gang master. We'll all be better off without your urchin roaming the streets unsupervised and playing by the light of a roaring car fire - and you'll have more money for Silk Cuts and chips.

(Actually, I think I said something about communication styles and community based skills enhancement.)

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*Apparently, the real parenting exerts have moved away from child-centred approaches and self-actualisation (I.e. Let the little tykes run amok) and are now favouring something called Webster Stratton - one of the academics saw my confusion - and said aka Super Nanny. Hey, I love to watch Super Nanny - so let me get behind that public policy.
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