I remember my mum telling me about a child starting school,
who had a vocabulary of only 5 words because her parents never talked to her. Apparently they "didn't know what to talk to her about." Ought to be prosecuted for child abuse.

I remember someone on this very board saying that if you stopped these people's benefits, they'd die rather than work. I can believe it.
( Bob Todd whee, Fri 28 May 2010, 14:13, 3 replies)

some of the people I meet
if you stopped their benefits, they'd tool up and attack the local council offices (or doctors surgery, hospital, police station etc.) until they got what they thought they deserved.
( sanityclause is waiting until, Fri 28 May 2010, 14:15, closed)

I'd like the system they have in one of the Scandiwegian countries;
to claim your Jobseeker's you have to do eight 'slots' a week. A 'slot' can be either a job interview, or an hour of community service, etc. Maybe it includes training/cv writing courses put on by the Job Centre as well, I'm not sure. Speaking as someone who until recently had been unemployed for 6 months, I'd've loved something like that; it would have made me feel useful instead of like a sponge who nobody wants to employ.
( Bob Todd whee, Fri 28 May 2010, 14:21, closed)

I really like that idea,
especially as volunteering helps prevent the mental health problems that can accompany unemployment, _and_ it gives you useful experience if you're not sure what job to look for next.
( sanityclause is waiting until, Fri 28 May 2010, 14:33, closed)

Research suggests
that 'volunteer' work is of little use getting a real job. It's largely politically motivated.
( Sextant goes to him is emotionally erect, on this day, Sun 30 May 2010, 10:00, closed)

A good friend of mine is a primary school teacher
and in her school they've had to teach some young children how to use cutlery, as the parents tend to take the kids for fast food, then sit them in front of the TV and expect them to eat with their hands.
(square go, Fri 28 May 2010, 14:34, closed)

When I was a teaching assistant
one kid could only recognise colours by the names of the Teletubbies with which they corresponded. What colour was grass? Dipsy. etc.
( sanityclause is waiting until, Fri 28 May 2010, 14:46, closed)

That's quite tragic
but is also making me laugh like a twat.
( Bob Todd whee, Fri 28 May 2010, 14:51, closed)

Poor kid had no idea what letters were
and it took him two terms to learn to spell his name, and he never got the hang of which way up a "W" goes.

He is now 12, and his friends still call him "Lemis".
( sanityclause is waiting until, Fri 28 May 2010, 15:02, closed)

Aww, poor boy.
This is why we need to bring back Sesame Street! Best kids' programme EVER.
( Bob Todd whee, Fri 28 May 2010, 15:05, closed)

A child will learn to talk
even if the parents don't talk to it. There are a few cultures where this is the norm. The logic being that why speak to a child who can't reply? I suspect that the child had problems beyond slightly dim parents (although intelligence is largely hereditary)
( Sextant goes to him is emotionally erect, on this day, Sun 30 May 2010, 9:58, closed)