The Potty-Training Problem: Blame the Parents or the System? A debate is raging over the issue of potty-training and who is responsible for it. Is it the parents, or is it the system that fails to provide adequate resources and support? The toilet-training problem is being unfairly blamed on parents, with experts and a BBC report citing poverty and lack of resources as the main reasons. However, many people disagree, arguing that being poor does not prevent one from potty-training their child. Some point to the fact that a century ago, the poorest people in society didn't have indoor toilets, yet managed to potty-train their children. The BBC report claims that teachers lose a day of teaching time to dealing with potty-training issues, with around 187,000 children starting school without being toilet-trained every year.Debate over parental responsibility and lazinessThe report suggests that parents who struggle to potty-train their children are often overwhelmed, over-stretched, and over-stressed, but some argue that this is just an excuse for parents being lazy and irresponsible. The debate highlights a wider problem in society - a fear of speaking about personal responsibility and the tendency to blame external factors for individual problems.In the past, people from lower-income backgrounds had the incentive to move on from nappies and potty-train their children, and some argue that this is still the case today. The article suggests that the state is increasingly taking on the role of proxy parent, with initiatives such as supervised toothbrushing programmes and free breakfast clubs being introduced in deprived areas.State as proxy parent and normalised irresponsibilityThe author argues that giving people a free pass and blaming external factors for their problems can lead to irresponsibility being normalised, and that personal responsibility is essential for individuals and society as a whole.