Sir: I would like to congratulate Simon Raven on an
admirable piece of paternal advice, which his son will undoubtedly appreciate before he is much older; I know I have done myself ever since my father spoke to me in such a manner, which was comparatively recently as I still have some seven weeks in which to enjoy 'teenage' liberty, what- ever that may be.
It is sad to think that some will consider such advice irresponsible, and condemn Mr Raven for raising yet another immoral and selfish teenaged hooligan. Indeed, I can think of few fathers who would show this article to their children at their coming of age, let alone their fifteenth birthday. They prefer to live under the misapprehension that it is better to keep their offspring either ignorant of, or isolated from, such facts of life, without con- sidering the untold harm that this may cause.
I can remember my contemporaries at school marvelling that my father and I could discuss such matters of the world at all, let alone with such frankness and understanding. It appeared that the majority of them received little or no instruction from parents, and were consequently left to find things out for themselves, usually the hard way: the rest were told simply what they could and could not do, thereby relieving their parents of all moral responsibility once they disobeyed, as they invariably did.
How long will it be before people realise that because Mr. Raven has shown such tolerance does not automatically mean his son will become an atheist, drunkard, sex-maniac or any other such thing: on the contrary, the chances are infinitely reduced.
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