SIR,—As father of a daughter who will soon be of
an age when she will have to be told something. I read the article in your May 27 issue and the ensuing correspondence with the genuine desire to find helpful advice. Instead, I am appalled and my gorge is high. I am not a 'square,' I have had my moments, but I flatly refuse even to consider telling any child under seventeen/eighteen years old about the remedy proposed in the article.
The author and your correspondents overlooked two vital points: I. Bringing up children is a progressive process, and depends on the make-up of the child's character and age. These factors also depend on the timing and extent of the initial introduction of the child by the parents to the dear old `facts of life,' and by the time the child leaves home to go to, say, a university or a job, he or she should have acquired the necessary knowledge and self-discipline to cope with any sexual situation that may occur.
2. `Dr Wilson's surrogate' is typical of the laissez- faire attitude at all levels of our affluent (?) society, and of a creeping parental laziness in becoming involved with the primary otrry of every parent— the upbringing of children. This involves the exercise of discipline, not perhaps that of a Barrett of
Wimpole Street, but a compendium of firmness, interest, and, above all, an instilling of a sense of morality and self-discipline. These latter two quali- ties are unfashionable in some quarters today, but they never hurt anyone, and can give much real pleasure.
Tuomits ADLER Thorn field. A berthin, Cowbridge. Glatnorganshire
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