Yes i completely agree with you life is hard enough why leave the girls at a disadvantage ? Not even covering the basics? I can,t see the sense in it they have precious little to fall back on if things go wrong. Does anyone remember the controversy for example when amy chua brought out her book battle hymn of the tiger mother their was a bit of an outcry in england and america in that oh you,ll put too much pressure/expectation on to your children they won,t be happy etc etc.
Her response to all that was that basically she would push her daughters to be accomplished/disciplined/well educated and the best possible versions of themselves and then they could go off and do whatever the heck they wanted(including dropping out!) but first she would prepare them for the realities of life including the harsh ones! I have to say i think her approach is commendable but the fact is that its at loggerheads with our current ultra liberal philosophy of everyone one,s a winner deserving of praise (even if they did nothing of any merit because above all else we must never hurt anyone,s feelings ever even if it was constructive criticism!) Health and safety rules and restrictions gone mad hey guys don,t play out in the snow you might fall over and hurt yourself! Warning possible danger ahead or even failure because how would anyone cope with that! Its a crazy little cacoon that we are building around our children with valiant teachers for the most part constricted and hampered by bucketloads of paperwork are desperately trying to circumnavigate.So in a sense our education system has been failing in my opinion its not building character its building fragility. So if the adderleys had recognised this point and addressed that issue they would have my respect. The problem is of course is that they are even worse!!
The girls are not being tested in the real sense of the word nor are they being stretched or challenged or forced to think outside of themselves or the little box that their parents have placed them in.
Plus the easy way out is the biggest trap of all your damn right most teenagers probably wouldn,t sit exams if given the choice but in all honesty should they be given that choice in the first place?
Or correct me if i,m wrong are we not just eroding any kind of adult authority/responsibility? (Boo authority because by current thinking that must always be bad! As mark pointed out don,t tell us what to do!) but then if no one has authority that includes parents as well and we can all feel the negative effects from that and its that lose/lose situation that i feel the adderleys are contributing to.
The erosion of respect hard work lack of skills and ultimately it will be lack of choice for both maddie and kiki unless they work pretty damn hard to overcome their parents apathy and ingrained pessimism.