About Universal Daycare.

Some guy on the radio today said that the Liberal Government had done nothing for his 5 year old daughter and 7 year old son because they hadn't had access to a government supported and run daycare system.

I have news for you, pal! YOU'RE supposed to be doing for your children, not the government.

There is a government run and supervised daycare system in Canada. It is called the prison system!

People really need to consider the reqirements of having kids before they have them. One of those requriements is that your kids need you. They do not need to be raised in an institution by strangers, nor do they need to be raised by the lady down the street. They need their mums and dads.

Yes there is room for occasional childcare. Moms and dads need it so they can stay sane.
Yes, it is good for kids to have social interaction in groups of other kids.
Yes, some people are absolutely in a position where they must access care for their kids on a daily basis -- these are usually single parents or people whose spouses/partners can't work.

Those situations should not be confused with "We both have to work to afford our lifestyle," if that lifestyle means having all the latest, coolest, most expensive stuff. That's not a lifestyle, that's a complete lack of self esteem.

Empathetic Parenting's website puts forth some interesting ideas on ways society induces guilt in parents.

Two points:

If you can't afford to have children, don't have them.

Understand the difference between WANT and NEED as it relates to being able to stay home and raise children and affording to have kids.

You NEED a safe, comfortable place to live. You do NOT need a $3000 per month mortgage or a 4000 square foot home, unless you have 20 children.

You probaby need a safe vehicle. You do NOT need two Lincoln Navigators or anything like those.

Your children and you need clothing. You do NOT need branded, high-end, designer duds. Believe me, your kids will not remember that, between birth and kindergarten, they weren't wearing the latest, most expensive fashions. Kids care about play dough and sandboxes, not labels.

Canadians have such a weird, skewed idea of what they need. If people would stop worrying about who around them has what, and if they would concentrate on what's important, they'd find pretty quickly that a LOT of what they think is NEED is nothing more than competitive consumerism. You won't be any nicer a person if you have the latest, shiniest BMW.

For the record, and speaking of clothing, Value Village and all those great consignment shops have tons of hardly worn kids clothing -- and adult stuff as well. Swallow your pride and save tons of cash.

As for labels, since when does any corporation have the right to use you or your kid as their billboard??? If they want to paste their labels on your kids, make sure they're paying for the space. They won't do that, you say? Then why are you buying their stuff anyway? It isn't like you NEED it.