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Childhood over by 11, say parents

by Pat Ashworth

A SURVEY commissioned by the publisher Random House suggests that more than half of parents believe childhood is now over by the age of 11.

From interviews conducted with 1170 parents of children under 18, ICM research found that 55 per cent considered that childhood ended when the child went to secondary school. Seventy-one per cent admitted their children had little regard for authority, and almost the same number said they gave their children an “easier ride” than they had received at the same age.

Sixty-seven per cent were worried about the company their children kept. The freedom given to children was demonstrated by the 45 per cent who let their 16-year-olds stay the night at a boyfriend’s or girlfriend’s house, and in the 53 per cent of the same age or under who were allowed to stay out after 11 p.m.

Seventy-one per cent of parents allowed their under-18-year-olds to drink alcohol at home, and 35 per cent let their under-12s have their ears pierced.


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