Nursery World - Tell me about it

Does the glut of popular advice on childcare have anything to teach nannies? Gayle Goshorn has a read. Back in the 1980s there was a hit TV series about unemployment called Boys from the Blackstuff, which gave the nation the catchphrase 'I can do that!'

Back in the 1980s there was a hit TV series about unemployment called Boys from the Blackstuff, which gave the nation the catchphrase 'I can do that!'

Nannies might echo these words when they look at the rising tide of advice on 'parenting'. Go into any good bookshop and the shelves are groaning with titles about children. Often they sound more like they're about animals - Toddler Taming and Secrets of the Baby Whisperer for Toddlers: How to Calm, Control and Enjoy Your Toddler are two of the better ones, just proving that you can't judge a book by its cover. But can you apply a book's message to all home childcarers? Can nannies do parenting?

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