To a growing legion of educated, enlightened and empowered mothers in Japan and abroad, Sue Palmer's advice on how to bring up children might sound — if not heard in context — too old-fashioned, too alarmist or even maybe too naive to prepare their loved ones for the rapidly changing, fiercely competitive society of the 21st century.
The prominent literacy specialist from Edinburgh sparked debate in Britain and elsewhere last year, when she suggested in her ominously titled book "Toxic Childhood" that the rapid social changes of our lives, including the shift in women's roles and our increasingly technology-driven culture, are damaging children's mental health, as well as causing a wide array of learning and behavioral problems.
Sure, we have all come to hear more about a growing list of problems afflicting children, including bullying, dyslexia, autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and Asperger's syndrome. But can they really be resolved by the no-nonsense tips in Palmer's book? Are they simply down to junk food, the lack of time we spend with kids, or our gaming and TV cultures?
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