This weekend Sunday Night has stories on raising boys and the effects of being a hero.
Raising Boys”
One of the most controversial stories in the history of Sunday Night this weekend. A plea from a famous dad and some surprising supporters to have a national discussion about how we are raising boys today. Mambo founder Dare Jennings, who entered fatherhood in his 50’s, firmly believes that in today’s world just being a man is a problem: “As men our noses are rubbed in our bad behaviour… and it’s sort of just created a culture where it’s just too easy now for women to blame men for everything.” He says the kind of adventurous activities he enjoyed as a kid are now considered too dangerous – the pendulum has swung too far. It’s a view shared by clinical psychologist Bettina Arndt, who says there has been a shift away from dads having a role in how their sons are raised because in many families mothers are now making all the parenting decisions. Reporter Rahni Sadler talks to Australian mums who worry that today’s society is eroding the manhood out of Aussie men, turning them more into females by constantly telling boys “no” – and stopping rough and tumble games and playing with toy guns. We travel to the remarkable school where the headmaster sets no rules – pupils ride bikes without helmets, build ramps for their scooters, and can climb trees as high as they like without supervision. It sounds like chaos, and at lunchtime it is. But school discipline and academic results have improved, and kids are learning about risk management. The extraordinary experiment has to be seen to be believed. Finally, in the UK, we meet Sasha whose parents are raising him gender neutral. He plays with dolls and teapots and doesn’t think there is a difference between boys and girls. A thought-provoking story and sure to cause debate.
“Under Siege”
They go to work prepared to put their lives on the line to protect us, but more and more of our front line police officers are paying a terrible price. In this special Sunday Night investigation, Melissa Doyle discovers the hidden cost of keeping us safe – a human crisis the government isn’t keen to make public. Because of what they see and what they have to do every day on the job, once brave officers are falling victim to mental illness… their lives destroyed by post-traumatic stress disorder. Mel meets Deb Bryant, the widow of a decorated officer who eventually took his own life to highlight the appalling treatment of officers who are forced into medical discharge from the career they once loved. He rang Triple O deliberately so that his last message would be recorded – and now his widow wants Australia to hear what he had to say. We also show the extraordinary vision of a young cop clinging to the back of a stolen Ute as it speeds through the streets of central Sydney. The thief swerves from side to side in an attempt to throw the brave officer to almost certain death, and when he jumps out of the moving vehicle the pursuit continues on foot. That officer was decorated for his dedication and courage, but within months he fell victim to PTSD and had to walk away from the job. What happens to these officers once they leave the force is a disgrace… hunted, stalked and secretly filmed by insurance companies looking for any excuse not to pay their claim.
Sunday at 6.30pm on Seven.
