Mal Fletcher comments

Mal Fletcher

Last week, a British mother spoke publicly and passionately about the pain caused by her son's cannabis addiction.

Julie Myerson was I suppose indirectly promoting her new book, The Lost Child, which deals with her family's struggle. Yet she was also giving voice to feelings and situations faced by many other parents today.

The story has sparked all manner of debates in the media: about the dangers of cannabis use - and particularly skunk, a greatly strengthened form of the drug - and the use of "tough love" in trying to help troubled teens.

Any parent who has raised a troubled child knows something of the pain these parents have been through. Those of us who, thankfully, have seen our children grow up without this kind of trauma can nevertheless empathise with the difficulties involved in balancing parental discipline with trust.

Parenting has to be one of life's most difficult, if potentially rewarding roles. There is no practice run, and there are no guidebooks for guaranteed success. You can't buy your kids as prefab units in IKEA, and "follow the instructions" to build healthy young people.

What's more, even when you've done a great job, your child may still face problems which threaten their future. It is a truism, but true: sometimes, great parents raise troubled kids. (Of course the reverse is true, too.)

I think, though, there is another vital point to emerge from this story. We can see here evidence of the dangers excessive liberalism poses for families and children. (I'm not using the term in any political sense, but a moral and social one.)

Liberalism is now the dominant shaper of values in modern Britain. We need look no further than our newspapers over the past two or three weeks to see that.

First, we heard about baby Maisie, born to two very young and naive teenagers whose parents, it seems, were prepared to overlook or even encourage their children's sexual behaviour.

Then, we read of a government brochure which advises parents not to instruct their children in morality when teaching them about sex - on the basis that doing so might warp their perspective.

This is liberalism at its worst: in suggesting moral codes you may get it wrong, so it's better to err on the side of neglect.

Finally, we learn that there are now fewer married people than single adults or unmarried couples in British society - for the first time in history. The concept of family, it seems, is undergoing a major redefinition, in line with more liberal moral codes.

Liberalism has been the philosophy of choice, especially among the literati and shapers of culture, for the past four decades.

It took hold with my own generation, the demographically huge and culturally influential baby boomers. Among us were more than a few hyper-individualists who preached that freedom means "anything goes" and promoted sexual and chemical experimentation.