A confronting TV experiment has seen brave parents put their children in a frightening test to see whether they would wander off with a total stranger.
Parental Guidance, hosted by mother-of-two Allison Langdon and parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson – a father-of-six, debuted this week with opinionated and very different parents competing in challenges.
On Tuesday’s episode children were sent to a playground with a distracted nanny, as a charismatic hired actor attempted to lure the youngsters away with the promise of puppies.
The outcome of the shocking experiment left Langdon in tears as parents gradually realised just how easily their children could be snatched away, while one of the traumatised mothers walked off set after being left feeling ‘sick’.
The shocking experiment left Alison Langdon (pictured) in tears as parents gradually realised just how easily their children could be snatched away
Parents Andrew and Miriam, who raise their children Luke aged 12, Grace aged 10, and Tim aged five with strict rules and boundaries – including smacking – were horrified by the result.
It took just seconds for the children to wander off with a strange man who charmed them with a dog and the promise of seeing some puppies.
Andrew broke down in tears after seeing the footage.
‘I know it’s an actor but it makes me so angry to think anyone would ever do that to a child,’ he said.
Langdon also found the clip extremely difficult to watch.
‘We knew this was going to be a confronting challenge but that’s why we are here to talk about it,’ she told the group.
‘Every family watching around the country at home is going to rethink the conversation they are having with their children around stranger danger because we are all questioning what our kids would to in a situation like that.’
Parents Andrew and Miriam (pictured) who raise their children Luke aged 12, Grace aged 10, and Tim aged five with strict rules and boundaries – including smacking – were horrified by the result
It took just seconds for Andrew and Miriam’s children to wander off with a strange man who charmed them with a dog (pictured)
Brett, who raises four kids Ajay, Gyan, Taz and Jagan – all aged nine – with partner Tony in a ‘routine’ parenting style said: ‘I think having this overly authoritarian parenting style, they might think all adults are in charge.’
But when the same-sex couple’s kids were approached it was an almost identical scenario.
Social worker Tony and primary school teacher Brett fought back tears and said it was especially hard to watch the footage as they regularly hear of these types of stories in their work.
But one child passed the test with flying colours.
Harper, seven, who is being raised in the ‘French’ style of parenting and largely treated like an adult, refused to go away with a stranger who approached her with a cute dog.
High drama: The sets of parents participate in challenges with the results aired in front of all the other parents who then critique their parenting style
Same-sex couple Brett and Tony are seen with their kids (pictured together) who are two sets of twins born on the exact same day from two surrogate mothers from India. They also wandered off with the man in the controversial experiment
When asked if she wanted to leave the playground she told the man that she would need to ask her nanny first, and when pushed by him repeatedly said no.
Her parents Yann and Donna said they’ve brought her up to be independent and self aware of surroundings.
‘Part of our parenting is definitely to ensure that Harper has the ability to read situations, has a level of independence and decision making ability and to trust that ability,’ Donna said.
‘We’re really lucky that we could get into a situation where we could test it.
‘I’ve said [to Harper], there are people who are really unwell, they could take you away, they could blackmail us. We’ve had those conversations, but you don’t think it’s going to happen to you.’
Yann explained the couple had spoke to her in the past about ‘stranger danger’.
Parental Guidance sees Allison Langdon (right, with co-host Dr Justin Coulson) moderate as parents confront each other over their different parenting styles
The eye-opening series is exploring all aspects of parenting from letting kids learn to read at their own pace to whether it’s ever acceptable to smack children.
The first challenge – which involved the children being given a map and told to direct their parents through the Adelaide CBD – went smoothly with confident son Luke informing strict Christian minister Andrew that ‘he’s got this’.
But a second challenge in which the kids and parents swapped roles for an ‘opposite day’ quickly showed some cracks appearing in the NSW parent’s tightly regimented style.
The children were given carte blanche to green light activities for their parents with Luke and Grace very quickly reverting to a disciplinary approach that included threatening punishments and brandishing a wooden spoon.
Their parents admitted to occasionally using smacking as a ‘correction’ tool to teach their children discipline.
Drama is high as parents then confront each other on why their parenting technique is superior (pictured: ‘natural’ parents Liadhan and Richard)
‘Strict’ parent Andrew is slapped by his oldest son during a challenge in which they swapped roles for the day (pictured)
‘All right, guys, just to make sure you understand there are some forms of discipline. All right?’ Luke says, spoon in hand before gleefully ordering his dad to go to his room.
Grace also takes the spoon to her mother in a semi-serious fashion, leaving Miriam to tell her: ‘Please stop smacking me. I don’t like it.’
While the exchanges were playful, the other sets of parents, brought in to sit in a Survivor-like tribal council of judgement, raised concerns about how the children were being taught to deal with problems and forcing Andrew and Miriam to defend themselves.
‘With corporal punishment. We see a smack as one tool in a parenting toolbox of and it’s by no means the first,’ Andrew explains.
‘Just be careful what you’re internalising there,’ one of the group pipes up.
Donna and Yann, the proponents of the French style of parenting which involves treating children as an equal, went one step further.
‘French-style’ parent Donna (pictured) has an intense reaction to corporal punishment towards children
‘We would never smack our child. We feel very strongly about this. It’s a form of abuse.’
‘My parents smacked me and I don’t harbour any resentment towards them,’ Andrew said.
‘Stockholm syndrome,’ Donna replied.
Andrew does eventually admit – in perhaps the show’s most emotional moment on Monday’s episode – the exercise caused him to revaluate some of his principles.
‘After that challenge, yeah, we were a bit confronted by, you know, is that really how they see us?’ he reveals.
The group is unanimous in rejecting corporal punishment but in a revealing moment Langdon then asks the group how many have smacked their children.
Half the hands in the room go up.
The other issues which seemed to divide the parents was unconventional couple Liadhan, 45, and Richard, 67, from South Australia who live in a tent with their five children.
‘The kids can’t bounce off the walls if we take the walls away,’ Laidhan jokes.
Liadhan and Richard are home-schooling their children (pictured together) from their tent and are letting them learn to read ‘when they’re ready’
Alternative: One couple is particularly singled out for criticism after revealing they raise their children in a tent
They have opted to home-school their kids and revealed their three youngest Esther aged 9, Eva aged 7 and Danny aged 5 have not been taught how to read.
‘The eldest two (Mariam, 12, and Hannah, 11) are proficient readers,’ Richard explains.
‘The younger three, they can recognise words.
‘Some people might panic and say, ‘why aren’t they reading?’ They will read when they’re ready.’
‘By accident?’ Yann fires back.
‘Now that it’s the opportunity to learn as much as possible when their brain is a sponge.’
The last two families are Lara, 42, and Andrew, 39, who follow the ‘attachment’ style of parenting with their children Raphael, 7, and Chaya, 5.
This involves raising their children using a ‘circle of security’. They play with their kids constantly and indulge their creativity wherever possible – loving to perform with them.
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