Society is making great strides in increasing awareness of oppression and injustice, but one group remain mistreated, with unequal human rights, and remains under-discussed: children.
Commonly recommended parenting and discipline methods, such as sleep training, school isolations and public shaming treat children in inhumane ways that would cause uproar if adults would treated similarly. Children's needs and feelings are frequently dismissed and ignored by adults. They are taught to blindly obey adults in the name of 'respect', though respect is so rarely shown to them by adults. We are a society who are afraid of treating children kindly, as evidenced by the almost constant uproar and ridicule of the 'gentle parenting' movement by the media today.
Because each of us have been raised to believe that the rights of children matter less than those of adults, we subconsciously continue the cycle of childism from one generation to the next. Inside each of us is buried hurt, generational trauma and shame, and decades - if not centuries - of prejudice towards children. It's time to change things. It is ridiculous that children, the future of our world and the key to smashing all other stereotypes, are the last oppressed group to have their maltreatment fully recognised.
This is a timely book, a blend of childcare history, sociology, psychology, anthropology and current affairs and pop-culture coverage, aiming to raise awareness of a much undiscussed issue, but one that will surely be spoken of increasingly in the future. It is an urgent call to action. If we want to change the world for the better, we must start with treating our children better.
