It's good when your folks encourage and guide you. It's sad but conventional when they pick a religion for you. It's worrying but almost understandable when they try a bit too hard to get you into a *nice* school, but less forgivable if they push you into showbiz. Parenting and control freakery have reached a new level today, 'tho: pity the kids who've been put on a 40 year waiting list for...a London allotment. Gardening might be the new rock and roll, but imagine the life of a child with the clock thus ticking and a spade hanging over his head. It's bad enough that we are being forced to take out mortgages that span the generations, but the burden of being compelled to turn into a model allottee seems just a bit too harsh.
(Image/Londonist's own)
