Working mothers are to blame if their children are naughty, a leading psychologist has claimed.

Oliver James has controversially suggested that mothers of toddlers should stay at home.

In his new book the psychologist and broadcaster tells mothers that they can not 'have it all'.

He states that nurseries are bad as children should not be left in the care of others for long periods, the 'naughty step' is counter-productive and a toddler's misbehaviour is, in fact, all the parents' fault.

Mr James also attacks the strict disciplining of young children by comparing it to training them 'like a dog in a laboratory'.

The guidance comes as mothers are struggling to make sense of a barrage of contradictory advice about child rearing and are often under pressure to return to work after childbirth to makes ends meet.

Mr James, in his book 'How Not to F*** Them Up' writes: 'As a parent of a child of this age, you need to realise that if things go pear-shaped it is actually always your fault, in the sense that if you keep a close enough eye on them you can prevent atrocities.'

The author claims that young children 'need to be in the presence of a responsive,  loving adult at all times', warning working mothers that daycare is associated with more boastful, disobedient and aggressive children.

In an attack on the methods of the former maternity nurse Gina Ford, he writes: 'There is a great deal of evidence that very strict routines do lead to more insecure, and to more irritable and fussy babies.'

His criticism of the 'naughty' step is an attack on the methods of Supernanny, a British reality TV show helping parents with misbehaving children. The 'naughty step' is a technique which gives children 'time out' to think about what they have done wrong.

Dr James' latest book is a sequel to his 2002 book They F*** You Up, which argues that is it parenting, not genes that shapes character.

In the first bookhe writes: 'Yes, of course I was a bad boy, but it wasn't my f**king fault! My parents were very muddled and had caused me to be like this.'

However,despite his strong arguments James claims he is not against working mothers. He writes: 'I really don't want to make life more difficult. I'm really trying to make it easier.'

Justine Roberts, co-founder of internet site Mumsnet, said that the new book will not be welcome reading as many mothers have no choice but to return to work.

'Parents can feel guilty enough without yet another guru telling them that they are doing it all wrong,' she told the Times.

'For many there is no choice but to use daycare – so what those parents need is the highest possible quality daycare at affordable prices.

'Many Mumsnetters will agree with James's views on routines and naughty steps, but there are lots that find both helpful.

'One thing that's clear from this is that there really is no-one-size-fits-all way of raising children.'

 

Source: Daily Mail – http://tinyurl.com/39dwhhd