Last week, the news shows were wall to wall on the abductions in Missouri followed by stories that dealt in general about the emotional impact on children when taken from the parents. This matters because so many children in this country are getting abducted that it is now a rite of passage . . . .NOT.
After they were done with abductions, the next story was the poor performance of child safety seats in Consumer Reports trials, trials that have been since been shown to be in error, as if parents weren't frightened enough over the potential abductions of their little darlings ("The kidnapper would get so sick of you, he'd bring you back," as my no fear mother told us), now the state is after them.
After all the scare stories last week, NPR reported that the city of Bangor, Maine has banned smoking in vehicles to protect small children from the dangers of second hand smoke. We won't mentioned the safety hazard smoking presents. Instead, we want to protect children.
And now, as if you as parents weren't scared enough, California State Assemblywoman, Sally Lieber , is set to make spanking children illegal. Who, may I ask, is she to decide what is good parenting?
1. Children sometimes need a good swat or two.
2. Since when did children become such "cult objects" to steal a phrase from George Carlin?
3. When are adults going to remember that it is they, not children, who are in charge?
4. Since when has the state been good at "raising" children?
5. When are politicians going to realize that libertarian feelings are starting to peak in all of us?
Enough already! Leave us alone. This is NOT an issue for the law.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Nanny State Strikes Again
Posted by USWest at 11:29 PM
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4 comments:
I'd really like to know where the California Department of Children and Family Services would get the money to go after all of these now-abusive parents. California social services agencies are perpetually underfunded and have plenty of cases where people are accused of beating the heck out of their kids on a daily basis, having a meth lab next to the nursery, and locking kids in cages. Why can't we work on the real problems first?
I am also extremely annoyed at the fear-mongering over child abductions. Stranger abductions make up a tiny percentage of children kidnapped each year, but to listen to the network news, there's a deranged kidnapper hiding behind every bush.
-Seventh Sister
// posted by Anonymous
It's a way of making parents feel inadequate and guilty. That is why children rule over parents. This fear mongering is done big time to expectant mothers. My friend's baby wouldn't sleep because his little tummy wasn't full. So I suggested that they add a little rice cereal to the milk to make it stick to his ribs. This is what my mother told us to do when my niece was born, and it worked. She is a healthy, happy 15 year old. My friend's response was. "Oh I can't give him anything solid before 4 months or he'll get food allergies." Plahhhheeese!
In Europe, pregnancy and parenthood is the simple, natural process. Here they get parents so convinced that if they don't run every genetic test there is, they will do a disservice their child. And now they are pushing to have women arrested who choose to sip a little wine while pregnant. Spare me.
We have a very sick society that will turn out very sick children if we don't let people alone to use their own common sense and judgment
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// posted by USWest
I agree with the comments here. Some young parents want to prove that they are good parents by buying into all kinds of rules. "Oh my, she gave her child solid food before 4 months old, tsk, tsk..." All of it a substitute for actually being a good parent: spending time with the child and treating the child as a human being, not as some sort of pet or trophy.
The potential ban on spanking is so stupid for a zillion reasons, not the least of which is that it is a perfect example of what independent and Republican voters hate about the "left" (I put "left" in quotes, because these people aren't down with economic justice, but are really big into political correctness). Democrats should run away from it, not buy into it.
// posted by LTG
I actually got smacked as a kid a few times, and whilst it didn't do me any harm (as far as I can tell - I think I'm normal! ;-p), I don't think I'd want to smack my own children (as and when...), simply because I don't think it's necessary to hit a child to discipline them. That said, I remain firm in my belief that that is a decision that the parents should be making, not the state (although if the state wish to provide more [optional] education on parenting methods...).
And as far as all the fuss about food allergies etc etc etc goes - my first 'real' solid food (ie not baby food) was a breakfast cereal similar to porridge, my dad was sitting on the floor eating a bowlful, I crawled up and helped myself, no idea how old I was; I was also witnessed eating worms one day (I rinsed them in the pond first though, so clearly ok!); first got drunk aged four as a result of not being closely watched at a New Year's Eve party (I blame my cousin - he was four and a half...); and I have about the strongest stomach and best general health of anyone I know. In five years working at my last job, I took only two sick days (consecutive, was unlucky enough to wind up with a kidney infection), and I think I've had a total of three courses of antibiotics in the last 10-12yrs.
So, I guess you could say I totally agree with all the comments here :-)
// posted by Pombat
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