Do you think there are also parents like Mrs Pumphrey?
Yes, there are definitely parents like Mrs Pumphrey in the real world. Just like her, some parents are over-indulgent and cannot bear to refuse their children's demands. They confuse love with overfeeding and spoiling them with excessive luxuries.
Such parents often ignore good advice, similar to how Mrs Pumphrey ignored Mr Herriot's warning to cut down on sweet things and give more exercise. Instead, they give in to their children's tantrums, providing cream cakes and chocolates, which ultimately harms their health.
Their excessive worry and pampering, seen when she sends a whole collection of beds, cushions, and coats, show that their misguided affection can make their children lethargic and ill.
Explanation
The question asks students to draw a parallel between Mrs Pumphrey's character and real-world parents. Based on the context, Mrs Pumphrey exhibits classic traits of over-parenting: she overfeeds Tricki (malt, cod-liver oil, cream cakes), cannot say no to him, and smothers him with unnecessary items (wardrobe of coats, multiple beds and bowls). These traits are commonly seen in over-indulgent parents whose misguided love actually ends up harming their children's health and discipline, just as Tricki became ill from greed and lack of exercise.