But can the kids be blamed entirely?

For me, no, it’s pretty much down to the parents. Sorry, guys, man up, woman up, and do your job.

Let’s backtrack to a more logical starting point.

There are too many parents who categorically accept a version of events their child presents as gospel and act accordingly. This invariably results with said parent confronting another parent or accusing teachers or another child of certain behaviour. Quite often, the version of events has been, shall we say, misrepresented or misinterpreted.

Now that’s not to say all children are liars but as humans we invariably have a predisposition towards our own viewpoint. I assume it must have something to do with our basic survival instincts from a millennia ago, look out for number one, survival of the fittest and all that.

The modern day parent, in a world where children’s rights have become confused with ‘my child is absolutely right, how dare you suggest otherwise’, needs to navigate their way between believing and acknowledging the issues their child raises and what actually happened. Unfortunately, many parents have become lost. In trying to find guidance from the Pole star, it seems some parents have become momentarily dazzled and have confused the night sky’s brightest star with their own offspring. Some are even more adversely affected and instead of seeing the sun, see their son (or daughter). Ok, perhaps that’s a bit harsh but you see my point.

I am not suggesting parents should not fight their kids’ corners although when you have more than one, you do become a bit more adept at refereeing and a lot more attuned to the ‘he said’, ‘she said’ scenarios. In fact, schools have cottoned onto this with many now taking ‘witness’ statements in the course of an ‘investigation’ when an incident happens within its walls. Sounds ludicrous? If you’re facing a situation whereby you are likely to have a barrage of affronted parents each keen to defend their little darlings, you can bet your bottom dollar, you’d be armed with all the facts or at least the most likely version of events based on the representations of several youngsters in order to stave off such an attack.

Now this is where you, parents, really have to step up to the plate.

When your child presents a version of events or reports a conversation which appears to place them in a questionable position don’t immediately reach for your crusade banner, rally the troops and set out on a blinkered course to right their perceived wrongs. Take some time to talk through exactly what was said or took place and identify where any misinterpretations could have occurred. That way you’ll probably save everyone angst, grief and headaches as well as giving your child the tools to be able to take a step back and make a more objective appraisal. Not to mention avoiding you looking a bit of a numpty when it transpires your child’s version is a little one-sided.