Week 1 Discussion: Let’s Get Started
Caregiver to rear one or two children from birth to maturity. The job is a seven-day- a-week, twenty-four-hour-a-day position. No salary or benefits such as sick or holiday pay, no retirement plan. The caregiver must supply all living expenses for self and children, and in the event of any absence, even for a few minutes with younger children, must supply substitute care. There is no opportunity to meet child or children in advance of taking the position to determine compatibility. Motivation for the job and satisfaction in it must come from within the applicant as neither children nor society regularly express gratitude and appreciation.
This ad at the beginning of chapter 1 both made me laugh and think at the same time. Given what we know as parents or from being parented why would someone choose to take on the job of parenting? With changing societal norms and the many pressures we face as individuals why would someone choose to take on the added responsibility or parenting? Please keep these thoughts in mind as you read the first two chapters.
