Now we understand...

The Daily Telegraph today reports that one in four children lives in a family with only one parent present. That's a quarter of all children.

We have known for a few years that in many families both parents work. When they come home, tired at the end of the day they have to do household chores and also find time for their children. It is possible to understand why in this situation, with the best will in the world they are likely to appreciate anything which keeps the children occupied and quiet while parents get meals and do other duties. They rely on television, videos, computer games and computers. Later on the young will roam the streets....

But imagine yourself as a single parent. You have to do all yourself, somehow keep order while you are getting tea, getting the children to bed, etc. You are likely to make even more use of videos, TV and computing. You will have even less energy, and be even more relieved when the children are safe in bed.

Both situations operate against parental encouragement in things like reading and writing, creative art work, role playing and parental involvement in games.

We do not blame teachers for the number of pupils who leave primary school ill-equipped for secondary education, and who will probably emerge as educational failures. In some cases there does seem to be a problem from pre-school days.

There may be some parents who are slavishly devoted to pursuing their own pleasures heedless of their responsibility as parents. There may be some who are ill-equipped to understand how they can help their children in their education. In either case the children will suffer.

There are certainly many situations where both parents work, in order to have a decent living standard and buy a house, and a growing number where only one parent is present with the children. We can understand that sheer pressures may reduce them to doing less than they ought. Some perform heroically and sacrificially, trying to do the very best they can. But things are stacked against them.

Every researcher who has ever looked at the question, even those who ideologically wanted a different conclusion, has concluded that children from families where there are two parents present do better than children from families with one child. It is almost axiomatic.

About half a century ago, and probably meaning something slightly different to what I am suggesting, someone suggested, "No nation can rise above the quality of its family life."