Originally Posted by MNMum:
I might hit a hot button issue here, but I think it goes back to the women's movement. We've swung a bit too far and put women's careers ahead of our children. Children need their parents - quantity time, especially babies.
I'm not disagreeing that other things aren't playing into children's behavior these days, I agree that the electronics are out of control, and that being our child's best friend, is not in their best interests. Nutrition is another huge factor, and over medicating for ADD, ADHD can be a problem, too.
How about one year of maternity leave, paid, with job security at the end of the year? Many other countries do that, and it would give mothers a chance to bond during that precious first year. Let's be honest, does a 6 week old newborn baby really belong with anyone else but the mother? Society has made it so that new mothers HAVE to work. The women's movement was about choice, and now most of us women don't have a choice. We have to work.
Many of us have chosen to work at home. No, it's not the same, but it's better (at least in my experience) for me to be with my children and be the one to influence them. It is a huge financial sacrafice, but at least, as working mom/daycare providers, we can be there for them.
Nutrition and over-medication are HUGE problems too. How do you expect a child to behave without adequate sleep and pumped up on chocolate milk and Burger Kind cini-minis for breakfast? (Pop a pill- that's how). These pills are restructuring their brain wiring and their brains never develop properly.
