March 30, 2011
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Parents or Government?
I had a discussion with a day care provider. She was telling me that she wanted Yankton to make all day cares be licensed. I’m not against that. My wife has been a licensed day care provider for many years. What bothers me is the next part of the argument. She said that no one should be able to care for another child unless they are city certified. The City Council is trying to make that a reality. That means if Grandma wants to watch the kids she would have to be certified by the city before doing it. I guess I have problems with that. The argument is that parents don’t care enough about their children and are having anyone watch the child. Thus the government needs to do it. I don’t see how the government can continually get bigger and take over what the parents are suppose to be doing. Thoughts?
Do you think parents should be able to pick who they want to watch their kids without government intervention?
or Do you think the government should be able to say who watches kids?
Comments (48)
There’s no reason why parents shouldn’t be able to decide who they can trust with caring for their kids, whether it’s a family, friend, or organization. Day Cares should be allowed to get licenses (similar to accreditation), but I don’t think it’s really necessary to force them to. It would be up to the parents if they want to send their kids to an unlicensed day care…maybe they know the people there well – but I think most parents would be likely to trust licensed day cares more.
that’s just stupid. I was practically raised by grandparents!
@Diva_Jyoti_3 - Agreed
@a_drunken_cellist - That is my view as well.
We had a problem with that here in Michigan. Several neighbors who had to leave for work early had their kids wait at a neighbor’s house for the school bus to pick them up. Someone complained to the city that it wasn’t a licenced daycare, and the woman who was kind enough to let the kids wait for the bus at her house was facing big fines and being told she needed to get a license. That’s ridiculous! What happened to neighbors and relatives helping each other out? Luckily, it was resolved in her favor after a big public uproar. I think if money is changing hands, then a license can be required. Otherwise, the government and everyone else needs to butt out on who watches our kids.
I don’t think parents should be certified to look after their children.
I think the government should stay out of it. We have too much government as it is.
I vote for parents.
@C_L_O_G - Agreed
I vote for Grandma.
That’s absurd. If parents don’t care enough to be cautious about who cares for their children, those children aren’t safe at home, either. Government cannot keep us absolutely safe. If we continue attempting to legislate every day life, we will end by raising our children exclusively in group homes run by government caretakers allowed no privacy and no personal opinions.
Absolutely, parents have the right to make the call. Government does not. Having seen Child Protective Services assume carte blanche, the government cannot be trusted as the final word on the best interests of our children.
I would encourage everyone to visit http://www.parentalrights.org and sign the petition to amend the Constitution to explicitly state that parents have the right to direct the upbringing and education of their children. There’s a little more verbiage than that to account for abusive situations, but that’s the gist of it. This amendment is a direct response to the dangerous UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) that seeks to place family policy authority in the hands of an international panel, which would supercede parental rights (and even US government!!!). Go sign the petition!
I think people are responsible enough to choose babysitters for their own children. The problem with this sort of policy is that it will raise the price of daycare across the board. The real babysitters turn out to be the government.
It’s about money, just as all “licensing” is really about money. Unfortunately some government “minds” think of children as wards of the state….hence, public brainwashing, er, “education.”
Whether you collect the new high precision best sale watches or ones that come from a past era, the fact is that over the years this hobby has become a high turnover business. At the start of the last century the clocks that were available for men or women were firstly pocket clocks, and then clocks that held by a pendant attached to the lining of jackets or corsets.
I just posted about this topic. here. To answer your question, I don’t think requiring everyone to be licensed will save any kids. On the other hand, having quality, affordable, licensed day care for people who have to work would be fantastic.
I was brought up by 2 set of parents. They only need a marriage license.
That’s just stupid.
I definitely agree with her that all daycares should be licensed but… If my mother wanted to watch my hypothetical kid, I don’t want her to have to go through some ridiculous system to do so. It’s my responsibility and my RIGHT as a parent to choose who I leave my children with.
Parent’s should make their own desicions and government should stay out of it.
Parents, for certain. The government doesn’t make the best decisions, either.
Gawh. My grandparents watched me. Granted one Grandmother was harmful, but when I was watched by my mother’s parents it was wonderful. They practically raised me and my siblings. I think that parents as a right by being parents should be allowed to choose who watches their kids…The government should stay out of it and stop trying to regulate everything. If the parents make a mistake by giving the right to watch their kids to the wrong person it’s on them. Making people have to go get a license just so they can watch their grandkids for awhile is nonsense. Same goes for neighbors and other family and friends.
If the parents aren’t doing what they’re supposed to be doing then they will just have to deal with the consequences.
Government certification for commercial daycare sure. It would just be plain dumb if a grandma has to get a license to watch her own grand kids.
However just to add on to the argument, should parents pass through some sort of certification/inspection in order to get pregnant to have kids in the first place? Why not? People who want to adopt go through that process.
I don’t think grandma needs to be certified to watch her grandchildren!!
The government needs to BUTT OUT of our lives in a big, big way. And people that think like that woman, who think it’s ok for the government to have a hand in everything…they are what’s wrong with this country today. Ready to turn over everything, even control of their children, to the government.
That’s offensive but not surprising. Big brother intrudes on all our lives where he has no business.
I wouldn’t mind that so much if it was like in France, where the government sends free certified childcare services directly to your house (at least they do in the bigger cities). However, if the idea behind this is just to say, “You can’t have a babysitter unless they’re certified, and then you still have to pay them whatever they feel like charging” well, that’s just ridiculous. Sometimes parents need to do immediate things that involve leaving their children at home with someone they trust, like an older sibling or a grandparent or whatever.
It’s up to the Parents of course but I know what you are talking about. The Government intervene too much, maybe at times its for the safety of the child but there should be comon sense too!
i think if your going to bring them to a strangers like home day care than i totally support all government certification but if your just having a friend or someone watch them that’s a little extreme
Wow!! I think its about time for the government to back off! I have 2 children whom I’m raising on my own and I would be a liar if I said I have never made a mistake or a decision that I would later regret in regards to their upbringing. However, my minor mistakes are nothing in comparison to the enormous and sometimes catastrophic blunders that we see daily by the government in all of its forms. A government that is clearly a servant of its own agenda as opposed to a advocate for whats best for me and my children.
What they care most about is their growth in power to the point that we are no longer free, and this situation is nothing more than another piece of evidence to support that. Truly unsettling….
It’s a matter of parents caring enough. I remember a friend of mine who teaches telling me she had to a call a parent because their child was being disruptive in school. The parent picked up, starting yelling at her over the phone saying, “Why the hell are you calling me? He is your responsibility right now.”
To say that all caregivers have to certified is going a bit far. Babysitters will be out of jobs, grandmas might not see their grandchildren or spend time with them as often….
The only reason why daycares should have certified caregivers is because they operated as a business, in a loose sense.
hey…another south dakotan.
Extra licensing and government is unnecessary. Perhaps an industry standard of some type would be better though.
Don’t get me started! I worked in a day care center. Privately owned but federal and state funded, not a good deal for children. Children do not benefit by running in herds.
I think any place that calls itself a day care needs a license and probably places where more than 5 or so non-related kids are supervised on a regular basis. But to say any non-parent that watches a child needs to be is ridiculous even if it’s a hired babysitter.
@Lucy_or_Ethel - Couldn’t agree more! I worked Christmas breaks in one too and when I got pregnant with my son I knew I could never go that route!
this is a tough question because some parents will pick the wrong people to take care of their kids. The licenses may give people a false sense of security however, and they may not be as careful when looking for someone to watch their children. I guess it is all dependent on the parents. If they are not required to have a license to have children in the first place, requiring everyone else who watches their children to have one seems a bit silly.
I’m for more personal responsibility and less government, therefore I think the parents should be able to decide who’s responsible enough to be trusted with their children.
So, would the parents have to get licensed to be allowed to have children? This is silly. A Brave New World is right around the corner.
@WaitingToShrug - Parents wouldn’t have to get licensed just those people wanting to care for children.
@mypandabear - I agree – less government
@Lucy_or_Ethel - good point
@ArmyWife4Life2007 - Thanks
@tjordanm - Loving South Dakota here (Yankton) - thanks for commenting.
@yang1815 - Hopefully we don’t get to that point.
@Randy7777 - Then why should people who want to adopt go through that process?
Wow. Let’s bring in the Thought Police next.
@yang1815 - Interesting thought. We’ve adopted 5 children and have been through that process many times.
@ange_lae - That sounds scary.
@Randy7777 - And that process ensures that you are ready to be a parent. Many natural parents nowadays shouldn’t be parents at all.