Fathers' fury after parenting expert claims young children of separated couples should not be allowed to spend the night with them

Penelope Leach said children under four should not be parted from mother

Psychologist said separating children from mother can reduce development

But the new book Family Breakdown has angered fathers' groups



Pre-school children whose parents are separated should not be allowed to spend the night with their fathers, said a top parenting expert.

Psychologist Penelope Leach, whose books have sold millions, accused couples who have split up and arrange sleepovers of putting their own rights ahead of their children’s.

She said even one night away from their mothers could cause lasting damage. Yesterday her comments were criticised as insulting and outdated by fathers’ groups, with one calling it ‘absolute poison’.

Psychologist Penelope Leach has said that generally children of separated couples aged four and under should not be parted from their mother to have a sleepover with their father

Mrs Leach influenced a generation of mothers in the 1970s with her bestselling book Your Baby & Child: From Birth To Age Five, stressing the importance of establishing a loving bond. But it was also controversial for suggesting only mothers can care adequately for a child and a father’s role is secondary.

In her new book, Family Breakdown, the former president of the National Childminding Association highlights the damage that separating parents can have on even a young baby.

She argues that society treats access to children as ‘a right’ rather than focusing on the interests of the child.

Mrs Leach writes that ‘when people say that it’s “only fair” for a father and mother to share their five-year-old daughter on alternate weeks, they mean it is fair to the adults – who see her as a possession and her presence as their right – not that it is fair to the child’.

Ms Leach, whose book Your Baby & Child: From Birth to Age Five was a bestseller in 1977, said attempts to share children was putting parents notions of 'rights' and notion of what is 'fair' above what is best for the child

She believes there is ‘undisputed’ evidence that separating children from their mothers ‘reduces brain development’ and creates a tendency toward ‘unhealthy attachment issues’.

The New Fathers4Justice direct action group, said the advice ‘sounds like absolute poison and potentially terribly damaging to children’s development’.

A spokesman added: ‘Overnight stays with fathers from as early an age as possible are crucial if children are to form strong attachments with both parents.’