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> [I]mproperly-socialized children is [sic] a parental failure. This is true in part, but far from the whole story. Parents feel a pressure to "drop the childr
by ionfish 15y ago
> [I]mproperly-socialized children is [sic] a parental failure.
This is true in part, but far from the whole story. Parents feel a pressure to "drop the children off at day care at six weeks old" not because they don't want to participate in the upbringing of their children, but because they're under immense economic pressure to return to 'productive' work. Children are extremely time-consuming, so some level of parental abandonment is an unavoidable consequence of both parents working full time (or even part time).
The situation is even worse for single parents, especially with the social stigma that usually attaches to them regardless of their choice: either they go to work, and have abandoned their children, or stay at home, and are sponging off the state.
If we arrange our society in such a way that it's not economically viable for people who have children to spend time at home raising them, then they will be shoved off to daycare of some sort. Simple as that. (People are not going to stop having children.)
If we continue to fetishise so-called economically productive work to the exclusion of all other ends, and as a result, refuse to support families in an appropriate way, then this situation is just going to get worse.
- gsmaverick 15y agoThe problem is the fact that most parents don't want to make the sacrifices that come with having kids plain and simple.
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- aperrien 15y agoWhile in some sense that is true, your statement shows that you have failed to understand or properly challenge the previous argument.
- niels_olson 15y agoLike any real problem, this one has lots of parts. * the tax system gives better tax incentives for coffee makers than bottles ( etc, etc) * maternity leave anyone? * paternity leave? That's just crazy talk. A good, no, great stay-home friend of ours is watching our kids our most of the summer. We have half-jokingly discussed getting a bigger house and just moving both families in. seriously, the savings in time and money and health are tremendous. Not only is it cheaper or them and us, we routinely (even before the summer) had their family over or they have us for dinner. If we ever move, it may require family counseling. That's what's involved. Overcome the physical isolation of modern life and you can overcome some of the economics. Now, here's the catch. We met vis-a-vis the playground. See, my son and their son are in the same class and my wife and he chatted at the playground for a month, oh and we both live two blocks from school in the same direction. And at the time, they were hard up for some place to eat as their kitchen was demolished as part of a major remodel. yeah, that's way to many coincidences. But somebody could male a website for this. C'mon: you can get a babysitter over the web, you can get airbnb. Surely we can network neighborhoods.