Open Writing

'Ya gotta have a Dream, if you don't have a Dream, how ya gonna make a Dream come true?' asks the old song. It's an old question, a good question, and one lots of people asked themselves recently following Prince Charles's comments on aspirations.

The Prince was accused of being 'old-fashioned and out of touch with modern teaching methods' by Cabinet minister Charles Clarke, following comments he made in a private memo.

In the memo, made public at a tribunal hearing, HRH complained about a learning culture based on 'a child-centred system which admits no failure' that led people to believe they could succeed without hard work or talent.

Mr Clarke responded and said that it was very important that children were given ambition.

'We can't all be born to be king but we can all have a position where we can really aspire for ourselves and for our families to do the very best that we possibly can, and I want to encourage that position' he said.

In a bid to have the last word, Prince Charles publicly defended himself in a speech on Monday, when he said he believed that everyone had a particular God-given ability and often all that was needed was the right help at the right time to help them make the most of it.

'In my view it is just as great an achievement to be a plumber or a bricklayer as it is to be a lawyer or a doctor,' he said.

So, where does that leave Joe and Jane Public and their family when it comes to Dreams? Should we always assure little Johnny that of course he can be a heart surgeon instead of a Postman, despite the fact that he can't cut a straight line with a pair of scissors?

Should we break it gently to young Tracey that she probably won't be the next 'big thing' in L.A. just because she got rave reviews in the school mag after wowing an audience of family and friends in the lead role of Annie?

Much, of course, depends on the age of your offspring. Its perfectly okay to encourage little Johnny, aged six, to follow in the footsteps of Christiaan Barnard, but once he's thirteen and in the bottom stream for Biology, chemistry, maths and physics it's probably not such a great idea.

And although young Tracey may have the best voice in her school at 15, it doesn't make her the next Madonna or Charlotte Church. After all, it's as well to remember that there's more than one school in town.

On the other hand, our society does suffer from the 'English Disease' - the horrible habit of putting everyone down - pointing out our children's failings rather than their gifts and abilities and aborting their Dreams before they're born with a sneering comment such as 'dream on'

There's a fine line between being supportive and encouraging and being realistic and honest. It's just as unkind to encourage youngsters to believe they can do anything in life they want, regardless of their abilities, as it is to discourage a truly talented wanna be.

To succeed at anything today you need real talent, plus a generous helping of determination, hard-work and all the help you can get from anyone and everyone, preferably accompanied by a large dollop of luck with a capital 'L'.

If you could also arrange to be the good-looking, eldest, or only child, born to wealthy, or at least comfortably-off parents, who teach your chosen subject and have excellent contacts in whatever field you'd like to excel in, then all the better.

Meanwhile, it's all very well for our consumer-driven, materialistic, money-grabbing Society to give one message- namely that everyone is gifted in some way and can play a valuable role - and then proceed to pay those in valuable roles peanuts, whilst encouraging everyone to aspire to the Champagne-lifestyle enjoyed by film stars and the Royals

Prince Charles was right to say that kids shouldn't be encouraged to think they can succeed without hard work and talent - unless of course - they are members of the Royal Family. You know what they say .....it's the exception that proves the Rule!