Gina Ford: "Contented Babies"

[AFF]

I caught a brief extract of the news on TV last night and, it would seem, the World of Young Mums is gripped by an on-running dispute between Ms Gina Ford, the world-famous author of the book "How to bring up babies to be contented" [or "Contented Babies" or some such] and a web-site called MumsforMums.com [or ParentsforParents.com or some such].

 

It would seem that Ms Ford recommends a fairly strict routine of times for feeding, times for bed, the rejection of demands from a 9 monh old child for a home movie theatre for the nursery etc. etc., and the web-site technocrat brigade think that she is being a tad harsh, such that babies brought up the Ms Ford way will become maladjusted teenagers likely to take up stamp-collecting and the like.

 

Anyway. The web-site has a message board and Ms Ford's Lawyers have a dedicated team scouring the thing for scurrilous postings about their client [just think of the fees for that little time-consumimg exercise - they're probably reading this now - that's another £350 + VAT + disbuesements] and various examples of the somewhat less than complimentary messages were mentioned in the broadcast.

 

"Gina is a cruel and heartless mother for recommending that a 5 month old child should be left crying for three hours"

 

"Ms Ford ties babies to rockets and fires them into Lebanon" [i kid you not, really]

 

The Lawyers acting on behalf of the author have threatened various proceeedings, mutatis mutandis, subject to contract and without prejudice, against the web-site if these scurrilous activities are not curbed. Lessons for us all, eh?

 

For me, I would just like to post a brief message of support for Ms Ford on here, although the fast trip into Lebanon was not something that I ever seriously considered when bringing up my three little angels. In the 21st century, I find myself increasingly thinking that the case for compulsory sterilisation has some merit. I am not attracted to find the web-site but I might just glance at the book when next queuing at the newsagents for my copy of the NLP.