Want to be a neglectful parent? Come to a festival and learn

I spent last weekend at Port Eliot in Cornwall. This is supposed to be a literary and music festival and my reason for being there was to talk about my new book What Every Parent Needs to Know. In reality, though, it’s just an excuse to go camping with old friends, drink plenty of alcohol and stay up late. You’d think this would be difficult with four children in tow, particularly children as young as mine, but Port Eliot is an object lesson in benign neglect. By the end of the three days I had been taught more about parenting by the festival–goers than I’d managed to teach them.

Caroline and I are quite relaxed with our kids — at least, that’s what I used to think. Yes, we make sure they do their homework, but we’ve stopped worrying about junk food and screen time. They subsist on a diet of crisps and Nutella.