How ‘best friend parenting’ leads to spoilt kids

Young people are unwilling to go to school. They are unwilling to go to the office. And they are unwilling to go to war for this country. Is this about Generation Z being born with a natural predisposition to laziness and solipsism  – or is it about parents who want to be their child’s best friend?

Increasingly, mothers and fathers are adopting a dangerous approach to raising their children: ‘best friend parenting’. This involves dodging conflict at all costs, with parents ensuring their child stays in their comfort zone even if this risks school and the office becoming optional extras in young people’s lives. Although no one would want to send their child to a war zone, statistics show an alarming lack of patriotic spirit among our youngsters just as the winds of war begin to blow in earnest. When you’ve been raised to have everything your own way, self-sacrifice – let alone laying down your life for your countrymen – is simply inconceivable.