Home Blogs & Views Birmingham Mail Columnists Maureen Messent

Daftness of school's counselling

Dec 14 2007

THE fear and mental disarray of that tragic Tipton mother, who did away with her five-year-old son and then killed herself, beggars description.

The details of her plight stun us into silence. But then a discordant note sounded.

The headmistress of the child's primary school, while speaking of him as a happy little soul, added that counsellors were visiting the school "to support those children and staff".

Why is counselling necessary? Children accept death almost philosophically. They grow up knowing that all must die eventually. And what sort of wimps are infiltrating the teaching world that they need counselling at a time like this?

This is political correctness again. Even the smallest adversities call for hand-patting and an arm round the shoulders that, inevitably, means too much attention is featured on loss.

Kids, left to themselves, would think of the dead child for a second, then move on.

Counselling needed, my foot.

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