I just read an article in the Sunday Times (Perth Western Australia) called Parents read the riot act.
I don't like the journalists heading on the piece but I do like what the new Western Australian Education Minister has to say.

The general gist of which is that parents have to take some responsibility for their children's basic education. He is talking about running tv ads that ask "why are you sitting here watching TV when you should be reading to your children". He is quoted as saying

"And I'm not saying that parents should be telling teachers what to do,'' he said. ``What I mean is, parents assuming some responsibility for their children's education when the children are not at school.

"So at night, reading to them, assisting them with their homework, doing sums with them, talking to them about the value of education _ particularly when they're young, to get those fundamentals right.

"I actually think that is probably the most important thing that you can do to really support your child.
"And all the studies I'm aware of, all the things that I've read about education, show that parents who do that, their kids normally do very well."

I was lucky my parents did these things for me and I fully intend to do them for my child. As a Speech Pathologist I came across many other parents who also did these things for their kids and I have to tell you their children had better outcomes.

I know that there are a lot of parents out there that do do these things. Unfortunately I also came across a lot that did not and it was the kids that suffered.

It will be interesting to see what happens, if the ad campaign goes ahead and if it makes an impact. Now I would really love to see a politician that says we should have income tax splitting between couples so that more families can afford to survive on one income and allow one parent to stay at home and raise the children.