March 30, 2008
Clara Agnes, on When progressives want to restrict choice:
That’s what people say about any personal care field that is dominated by female workers. Neither women nor men trust women to manage funding.
I sense deep discouragement in daycare centers these days. Daycare staff wages remain unreasonably low for the level of responsibility - job security is almost nil. Often over 50% of daycare staff are supply or part time - ready to be cut as soon as daycare numbers drop even slightly. Few day cares offer any health benefits. As in any low paying job, this creates staff unrest, territorial behaviour - put together with incredibly hard work with a long day in noisy rooms - you’ve got a grumpy work environment. The really sad part in all this is the high staff turnover. Very young children require opportunities for loving longterm attachment - an essential building block to emotional. health. Unless women get paid what their professional service is worth, they move on.
So every once in awhile a woman with a different vision of day care and a commitment to giving children excellence in caregiving and programming comes along and opens a private day care. She has a passion and a belief in herself. When families find a daycare like this, they will pay the real costs - which are often higher than the non-profit centers, because the wages (profit) of the daycare owner are worth the higher cost. When a daycare operator charges $50 a day for a child, she can earn approx. $40,000 a year - working about 60 hours a week. Is this ‘profit’ or a decent wage?
I don’t get it why we think the for-profit sector has all the bad daycares. There are awful daycares in both. The problems stem from a low social commitment to children.
We need national daycare funding to raise the moneys available for all daycares to improve wages and programs. Once that is in place for several years, then lets talk about whether non-profit or for-profit provides better service. Right now, we are getting the service we pay for - not great! Just to note - many families are paying huge fees and still not getting great service - this full financial burden should not be on the families. Paying amost $2000 a month for 2 children in daycare is like sending your kids to university without any lead time to save!
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Loretta Westin, on Kids these days:
When my second son was in gr. 5, I had a conversation with a mother who’s daughter was sending notes to him. From another class. This mother was THRILLED with her daughter’s interest!!
I was REALLY an old goat. That was our last year of public school, even though my husband was principal of both elem. and high schools, we homeschooled. 11 years done, 10 to go…
My three oldest did not ‘date’ until they were 18. This was set up by my oldest, who started college at 17. He has maintained it as a ‘rule’. It remains to be seen whether or not my 15 yr old will follow the pattern - the first girl. We have always taught our children that friendships are one thing (they have many) but ‘dating’ is for someone who is seriously looking for a spouse. They seem to have accepted this. (Taking longer to start dating seems to give them more time to find someone worthy.)
It has been a conscious and marriage-long effort to maintain a standard of reverence for human sexuality and human life in our household. The only way that children can carry on a tradition of respect for each other, is if it exists.
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Elizabeth, on Common reasoning:
I was a child protection worker for about a year and (reluctantly) left the field as I could not stand some of the policies/mindset throughout the entire system.
You are right to point out that children are being devalued. In my view of Western liberal democracy, not only do children not possess certain rights until adulthood, but they also deserve separate, special unique rights. Most provinces’ legislation outlines these rights as not being abused, neglected, etc. and the State needs to act in the best interests of the child.
However, the focus in policy is shifted towards that of parental rights. Parents are given years of chances, even after numerous failures and heartache caused to the children, before the State is willing to ask for permanent care. The best interests of the child include timeliness, as it is very hard to find adoptive parents for children 5 and over (while there are multi-year waiting lists for newborns).
I think it is this attitude that extends right until the creation of children. The focus is all on parental rights (the right to “choose” to end your child’s life), without the focus on responsibility. The overall underlying value is that children are a burden or hindrance to parental rights, which take precedence. Gay marriage is another example of this in my view - as the first generation of children being raised by same-sex couples begin to tell their side of the story, we may take a different view.
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Ricardo Di Cecca, on Spring rant:
G.K. Chesterton, in his book Orthodoxy, wrote: “Progress is not achieved by changing the vision. It is achieved by changing the world to conform to the vision.”
Véronique, you are today’s visionary role model of motherhood or as T.S. Eliot wrote: “The way forward is the way back.”
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Hana, on Spring rant:
Dear Véronique,
You have five gold medals already and more. Your children are your resume and should be a satisfaction far beyond any requirements any institution might have. Unfortunately it will not be recognized in society today.
So keep your reward in seeing your children grow into fantastic people who they are bound to be under your guidance and supervision. We need more women like yourself, to hold on to what is the most important job any woman ever can have.
My professional aspirations were to get a PhD, instead I had two children, grown up now, and doing things that I am very proud of.
Congratulations to you from the bottom of my heart on your decision to do what you do!
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James, on Have a good one:
March 25th is not some random day that Catholics picked. It is not-coincidentally 9 MONTHS to the day before December 25th - therefore a pretty good choice to celebrate the conception of Jesus.
I think March 25th is a day that all Christians can agree would be a good day to celebrate this conception/annunciation.
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Blaise Alleyne, on When progressives want to restrict choice:
How is bashing Canada’s health care system related to this blog?
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Ricardo Di Cecca, on The Comments:
I came across this letter to the editor in the March 24th, Ottawa Sun and found it intriguing:
Stop it with the incessant discussions about the death penalty, abortion and euthanasia. We have complicated these issues by separating them. They are, in fact, one issue. To simplify our views, we need to ask one question: Do we believe in state-sanctioned death? If we do not, why the discussions?
Denis Groulx
Orleans
(Each subject presents its challenges)”
Let the debate begin…
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Loretta Westin, on Have a good one:
News from south of the border… meanwhile they won’t even let us put up posters of MOTHERS in bus stops!
http://caymanpei.blogspot.com/2008/03/informed-choice.html