ABC Brings Us The ‘Sadistic Bitch’ Method Of Parenting
Posted by Amber Robinson at 9:26 AM on February 20, 2009
Last night ABC1 showed the first episode of it’s anticipated UK reality series Bringing Up Baby. The premise of the show is interesting: six families choose one of three influential childcare manuals from the last century and practice their chosen method for the first few months of their new babies’ lives.
The books range from cry-it-out to attachment parenting in style: Dr Truby King’s 1913 book Feeding and Care of Baby, Dr Benjamin Spock’s Baby and Child Care and Jean Liedloff’s 1975 The Continuum Concept.
Our Truby King expert is Claire Verity (pictured), an unqualified maternity nurse who thinks there is nothing wrong with leaving a day-old baby to scream outside in a freezing garden, while parents sit inside and sip wine. The fresh air is good for them you know. This is a woman who thinks newborns should only be cuddled 10 minutes a day so they don’t become spoiled. Not surprisingly, she doesn’t have children herself. But she’s nannied for Jerry Hall and Sting, celebrity endorsements which no doubt helped her win a spot on the show.
The series caused an outcry in the UK when it was aired in 2007. After a journalist found that Ms Verity’s advertised qualifications were non-existant, Channel 4, the producers of the documentary, carried out an investigation into her background and as a result ceased working with her. But had the damage to poor baby Mia, Ms. Verity’s ’subject’ on the show, been done already?
The parents sensed something was wrong with her approach – her mother cried when she couldn’t comfort her daughter. UK experts agreed that her methods were potentially harmful. Viewers complained to the UK TV regulatory body in droves. And yet the ABC chose to screen the program here with no qualification, warning or disclaimer about what viewers would see.
Australian message boards and forums have already lit up in unanimous horror at Ms Verity’s techniques. One poster on the ABC’s message board described it as the ‘Sadistic Bitch’ method of parenting.
Did you see the show and what did you think? Will you be watching again?
I saw the show and I was horrified. I’ll probably watch again next week though, because I really want to see the parents snap, physically throw her out, and cuddle their little baby. I hope it happens.
I saw this programme in 2007 when it caused such a furore in the UK. Seriously, this woman makes even Gina Ford look like an attachment parenting advocate.
I don’t think I could watch it again as such appalling treatment of a newborn would bring on the tears for me, given I have a four week old of my own.
I too watched last night’s program in absolute horror. I don’t know what is worse, the reality that there is a market out there of “parents” who would even consider treating tiny babies like this and pay for the privilege or the fact that the ABC has allowed it to go to air without making it very clear that her methods are downright dangerous.
It was interesting to me that Verity reached out and comforted the mother while she was crying – ironically, because her baby was crying. The mother was happy to accept emotional support for herself but not for her baby. I can’t decide who is the bigger monster.
Honestly, I think that there is something seriously wrong with the woman. Why is the ABC allowing this cruel, abusive technique to be shown as a valid parenting technique?
I’m seriously disappointed in the ABC.
Just thought I’d add… it takes a fair bit to bring me to tears these days, but I was literally sobbing watching this program. So wrong.
I found it very ironic that Verity would comfort the distressed mother but not the baby. It broke my heart watching. I thought the ABC were broadcasters of quality TV, not sensationalist rubbish of the most voyeuristic and upsetting kind.
THANY YOU strollerderby for taking this to the ABC. The show was absolutelyhorrific and needs to be withdrawn from air. PLEASE pursue this. I have already made a formla complaint to the ABC and am encouraging everyone I know who has seen the show and likewise been horrified to do the same. THANK YOU from a very concerned parent.
Just an appalling show. If practiced even looseley, all of Claire Verity’s methods would shatter breastfeeding rates, contradict all SIDs advice, and expose babies to too much Sun in our climate. I cannot believe this show was aired without a health warning
Obviously this woman doesn’t regard tiny babies as real human beings. Such treatment is simply neglect, nothing less.
Great post, Amber, thanks for raising this. Like Belle, I was very much aware of this programme before it was bought by the ABC as I’d followed the coverage in the UK and watched parts (not all, couldn’t bring myself to watch it all) of it.
I can believe that the ABC would broadcast it (just) but can’t believe they’d make no mention of the controversy, or the fact that Claire Verity’s qualifications cannot be substantiated and her advice should not be taken as being supported by any body or research.
The subjects of this show are not the parents, they are the babies and newborns simply should not be used as experiments, let alone in the name of entertainment.
Please EVERYONE who is disgusted with this show, COMPLAIN to the ABC now….here is the link to their online complaint form. I am personally boycotting ABC from now on unless this show gets pulled.
http://www.abc.net.au/contact/complain.htm
I don’t believe any “warning”‘ would have justified the ABC giving this program air time in Australia. The fact that Ms Verity’s advice flies in the face of any responsible parenting – and surely any natural instinct to care and nurture for your child – is simply appalling. More appalling is the fact this woman is anyway being promoted as an expert – in my opinion, she should be in jail for child neglect.
Dear ABC: please use the formulaic “this may distress some viewers” before airing this child abuse again. I was horrified by the Truby King method, which really is abusive. And you must have known “nurse” Verity had no qualifications! they discovered that in the U.K in 2007.
give the woman a breaki mean this conversation could turn honey into something bad. she didn’t do anything when the mother got scared she went an watched tne babies when she didn’t want the m outside she put them right infront of the door so she4 could she them she is not supposed to change wht the book her routine is based on
I watched this when it first aired in england, and also found the “treat your child like an unwelcome inconvenience” method AKA Truby King’s idea of parenting HORRIFIC. I complained to the NSPCC (society for the protection of children) because I felt there were less.. educated or guided parents who might see this method and not realise the harmful effects it could have PLUS I was worried about the child being portrayed and the moral implications. A lot of people pertitioned against this programme – do the same here in Australia, raise awareness of the harms of these parenting techniques as a lot of people see detachment parenting as the easier more socially accepted method. E.g. leaving your child to cry it out, and forcing them into rigid routines that go against bonding and empathy for your baby.
Discredited fraud is discredited. She’ll never be able to show her face in public again.
With any luck.
Does anyone have any information about the babies in the experiment? They would be 2 years old now so i’d be interested in how they’re developing.
In speaking with my own mother, I discovered she employed some of the Truby King methods in her own parenting (not all of them though!). I have always been brilliant academically, however I constantly battle with issues of confidence and socialising with others. I have also sought out numerous therapy and development methods throughout my life, feeling that I was missing something or there was something I just didn’t ‘get’ about life. I have difficulty expressing emotions of love and compassion (whilst anger, jealousy and dissent are readily available!) and I am worried I be a ‘cold’ mother myself.
So again, it would be interesting for me to see how those babies are now developing. A lot of focus has been on the King method, but I’d like to see what the others turn out like as well.
Interesting all these comments! I just want to bring it to everyone’s attention that babies sleeping outside is a very NORMAL practice in Scandinavia … where it gets colder than in the UK! Hence the prams have been built for the cold and the babies are wrapped up nice and warm! It has been proven that it is good for the development of lungs! We get fresh air because it is good for us …now would that not be good for our babies?
I thought it was a very interesting show! Is showed 3 different methods of how you could possibly do it yourself …. however … at the end of the day it is your choice! You will follow your own motherly instinct and know what is best for your child, the ABC just highlighted some different ways. Routine routine routine was great in the King method (am not talking about only cuddling your baby for 10mins a day!)…. as you could see the Spock method people had NO sleep what so ever! You as a parent being overly tired cannot be good for the baby either …. What about a toddler handling sharp knives? Anyone care to comment on that?
I agree with above comment! It would be great to see how the babies are doing now.
Thank you Louise!!!….this was an interesting show, if you dont like the King method fine you dont have to like it. This show demonstrated 3 different ways of ‘Bringing up Baby’, and you are just picking on the King method, every baby is different and every parent will be different, let people make up their own mind and stop complaining. A follow up show would be good. The parents who employed the King method seemed quite happy with the results in the end. To all of you who are complaining about this show, get a life, as a parent-to-be I found this very interesting and actually very helpful.
I watched a couple of episodes, but especially the one on feeding baby. My (new mum) daughter was advised by the midwife last week to wake her baby every 3 hours and feed him. This in spite of the fact that bub had good weight gain and sleeping well between feeds. No, said midwife, baby (1 week)had to learn that day time was for feeding and playing. So Truby king is alive and well out there!!
The only way to truly see which method works, is to look at these children in 10-20-30 years time.
Also don’t be too quick to judge one method. let’s look at the kids who are in day care from a very early age – and see what sort of parents they make. no-one has perfected a parenting method yet and all these ‘methods’ are fashionable for a time. In the last 10 years the ‘Babywise’ books (by Ezzo) have been popular and could be called another ‘fad’ just like Spock or Truby King.
I am all for Verity’s methods. I have raised two children using Truby King’s methods and they are both happy, healthy well adjusted children who are much loved. It is definately not sadistic!!