There is an advertisement of television to do with a brand of vehicle. Grandma comes visiting and parents after asking why she is there, stand and watch with incredulity as their parents speed off in the new car to enjoy a holiday without their disappointed children. No holiday for them. They are left in the care of their Grandmother.

The connotations of the advertisement reflect the let down feeling of children and the almost euphoric joy of their parents freed from the shackles of parental responsibility.

While the ‘getaway’ might have been a focus on the vehicle, in real life many parents shed their children during holidays, leaving them in the care of others. This does little for the way children ultimately come to respect and regard their parents. During their formative years, their experiences of visiting places around Australia and overseas are restricted because they are left at home while their parents gallivant.

Children deserve to grow up within their immediate family groups. Growing up in this way leads to growing together so that as parents age and children reach adulthood, a mature and close family relationship remains in place.

Escaping parents like those depicted in the advertisement may well become lonely parents when their children leave home and don’t look back upon a life they are glad to escape.