Barnardo’s report - Children’s happiness comes first

WE SHOULD be very happy that the majority of children surveyed by the children’s charity Barnardo’s say they are happy to be alive in Ireland today.

That is no mean achievement, and it will be a relief for a great many parents that their children recognise, as they do themselves, that a loving and secure family environment is the most important element in realising this most enriching of experiences.

We should not be surprised by this, that the age-old formality of a cherished family offers the greatest possibility of being happy.

Though the definition of what constitutes a family in the Ireland of 2007 is more flexible and varied than ever, its primary function of providing stability, security and love for its members remains immutable.

It, after all, is the reason they exist.

This was confirmed by the majority of children saying that “close personal relationships” came only second to a happy family in what they considered vital to their continued wellbeing. Close friends, after all, are just an extension of family. By another extension the children said that a “safe community” came in at number three.

It is likely that this stipulation would not even have registered even a decade ago.

Though it seems we’ve become a more violent society, it also appears that the low-level violence, the in-your-face, yobbo aggression that’s become commonplace, is having an impact on our children greater than we might have imagined.

It would do them, ourselves, and society in general, a great service if we decided to confront the antisocial behaviour that is doing so much to make Ireland a less pleasant place to live.

It is reassuring, too, to see that 76% of parents say they spend enough time with their children despite the perception that work is cutting into family time.

Two figures, both sides of the same coin, suggest that we need to pay immediate attention in two areas. Firstly, 91% of parents believe changes in society contribute to the early sexualisation of children, and 68% of parents want alcohol advertising banned before 9pm.

The most powerful and relentless forces in the world — advertising and media — are responsible for the sexualisation of pre-teens, as they are for the campaigns designed to sell alcohol to children.

We may not be able to do much about international media, but we can at least try to confront those in our own society who target impressionable young teenagers for alcohol sales.

Though there are a great many details in the Barnardo’s report that are comforting, it also refers to the children caught in poverty and those disadvantaged because of disability. It also refers to the challenges faced by children from immigrant backgrounds. As in so many areas of Irish life we need to do more to resolve these issues and put life-changing resources in place for those who so obviously need them.

Despite the caveat referring to those who need more help, it is reassuring to know that despite rapid social, demographic and economic change, Irish children and their parents sustain strong, loving relationships.

There can be no stronger foundation for a fair society, one with a sense of justice and responsibility.