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No, you put them in the same category as people who are unfit to be parents.
Um, no they're not. Unless there is already a reason to believe there is an issue, people do not routinely have genetic testing and mental health screening before becoming parents. Reference checks? background checks? Who does these things?
There is already a system in place to remove children from unfit parents. No, it is not a perfect system, but it is something. The bottom line is, aside from outright abuse or neglect, nobody gets to decide if someone else is a fit parent. The way things are going lately I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone tried to make Christianity a requirement, or a certain income. What happens when the parents pass the test, have the baby, then lose their jobs? Does the child get removed from the home at that point? There are so many potential problems, I can't even separate them in my head. Anyone with any common sense should be able to see why this would never work.
I am not in favor of minors having and keeping children. It should be a privilege of people who are 21 and over. These kids are born to teen parents don't have a shot at life. I am sure people can trot out examples from their personal experience of children having children working.
I can cite statistics that say that it usually does not.
The kids who have kids get tired of playing house and the child suffers.
I am all for helping the poor, but when a child has a baby and decides to keep the child and raise it, statistically they are also deciding to live an impoverished life that includes frequent moves, multiple male figures, public assistance of some sort, limited cultural experiences, and a higher probability of family violence.
We require people to be a certain age to drive a car, sign a contract, adopt a pet from an animal shelter, and to marry, but not to have a child?
Instead of instituting redundant laws, why not just tweak the existing laws concerning the age of majority?
I am not in favor of a test. Some people test well and it would be unconstitutional. The age of majority idea would not.
What would you propose to do when young women under 21 become pregnant? You do not say.
The fetus must be aborted, along with all unborn progeny of unlicensed parents
The child must be taken away from its mother or parents and placed in foster care
Moot point - Everyone will be sterilized, reversible only by licensing, so unlicensed mothers will not get pregnant
As far as the 'licensing' addressed in the original post, it could include things such as CPR and first aid training, basic health and wellness, and other physical health classes or information, mental screenings should be in place, also genetic testing, drug tests and background checks, visits to the the baby's future home, reference checks, and so on. These are things 'good' parents do anyways, right? Obviously this would take a lot of money and time to complete, but what's the alternative that could also help the current situation?
This scares the bejeezus out of me. Zippicamiknicks and soma aren't for me, thanks!
Background checks are going to prove whether or not you have changed and what kind of crimes you are or have been involved in (child harm, drugs, etc.). If a person has been convicted of child-harm or current repeated drug use or current repeated abuse, then IMO they are unfit.
And how accurate is this 'stuff for foster parents and prospective adoptive parents'? From what I've seen, nowhere near as safe as it should be! There needs to be something more in place. References could also help uncover these secret lives. Talk with the relatives, neighbors, friends, school faculty, etc. Sure people could lie, hide their lives, pass these inspections, and still have children that are forced into these lifestyles (I realize no test is 100% accurate of a guaranteed fair assessment), but I would rather implement additional tests or inspections to ensure that our children are safe rather than continue with what little is in place.
You can't ensure children are safe. There's no such thing. Life isn't safe. You would implement horrifyingly invasive measures in the pursuit of that which is unobtainable.
You wouldn't be exempt. These things have a way of backfiring on even the 'best' of people. Better hope you remember to not eat a poppy seed bagel, and that the neighbor who holds a grudge about your barking dog is in a magnanimous mood when the inspectors come to call.
Some of the best parents I have ever met live in small huts in remote villages, grow their own food, and have a donkey cart in their "garage". How unbelievably arrogant and narrow minded to imagine they are unfit parents because they don't fit the image of the "perfect" western parent.
People need to learn that fairness and happiness in life is not guaranteed. Having a substance abuse problem is not a death penalty. There is help out there and many parents do "get clean". If you want to fix the situation with children in bad homes, address the causes not the symptoms.
You're right, 'having a substance abuse problem is not a death penalty'; however you shouldn't be having children if you're more focused on drugs. If you can get clean and stay clean than that's a different story (that's why I said 'current regular drug users' should be screened).
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Originally Posted by Magritte25
So now even being a good person or lovely parent isn't good enough! What is a "proper learning and growing environment"?
Ever heard of a mom or a dad living with others or their spouse that hooked on drugs? That one mom or dad may be a great parent, but what kind of influence is it to see a parent or family member on drugs. There's no safe environment for a child, which is extremely damaging to their growth.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kibbiekat
No, you put them in the same category as people who are unfit to be parents. Um, no they're not. Unless there is already a reason to believe there is an issue, people do not routinely have genetic testing and mental health screening before becoming parents. Reference checks? background checks? Who does these things?
No, I put them in the same category as people that need to prepare or do a little work on themselves or their current situation before have children. Not having genetic testing is reckless. I think you need to go back and read because the reference checks and background checks were suggestions as to how the current situation could change, not what's currently in place (obviously!)
Quote:
There are so many potential problems, I can't even separate them in my head. Anyone with any common sense should be able to see why this would never work.
So what should happen? Do you think that every parent is doing a fantastic job?
I am astounded at the number of "yes" responses. Are there that many people who are in favor of more government intervention/regulation? I am really curious about the "yes" responders' experiences with parenting and children. I suspect they generally don't have much. For the record, I do think child-rearing is a huge responsibility not to be taken lightly, and that there are some people who probably should not be parents. However, some of the suggestions for how this could or should be regulated strike me as foolhardy in the extreme.
Aside from the fact that bearing and raising children as one sees fit is a fundamental human right, there are many other issues with trying to control procreation.
There is no one way that is the best way to raise a child or be a parent. Negativenancy, you cannot possibly name one way that is best for all. Besides the legal ramifications of trying to institute a parenting license, you run into so many other issues that the concept would be laughable if it weren't so damned scary.
BTW, not all parents who have drug problems start out that way. Sometimes things happen in the course of life that lead people down that road.
There is no one way that is the best way to raise a child or be a parent. Negativenancy, you cannot possibly name one way that is best for all. Besides the legal ramifications of trying to institute a parenting license, you run into so many other issues that the concept would be laughable if it weren't so damned scary.
So what's the answer? How do we prepare the soon-to-be parents that will have children? Do we keep letting these innocent children's youth and happiness be taken away from them? How do help these parents that may feel overwhelmed or ready to just give up because they have no idea how to raise their children?
If you're going to knock down my ideas, perhaps suggest your own.
Education? yes!
Government licensing/permission? No way.
That's the best you can do. Life has not ever been and never will be perfect.
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What is a "proper learning and growing environment"?
