Monthly Archives: October 2012
21st Century Slaves
Seen any lately? They’re right in front of you every day — the best examples I can give are the people who so cheerfully take care of your babies in their daycare and the people who cheerfully serve you at your neighbourhood coffee shop. That’s me and my husband! I’ll agree that we’re paid slightly […]
A Baby Cage?!
At the end of April I saw a tweet where a guy posted a video about what he, and others who had re-tweeted it, called ‘a baby cage’. I was astonished to see the words and couldn’t imagine what it might look like – I envisioned a playpen with a closed top. Or perhaps the […]
Did You Ever Wonder?
You should know by now that I am always wondering and asking “Why?” I think it was John D. MacDonald who said in one of his books (oft quoted by my husband when I ask ‘why’ for the umpteenth time!) “The sign of an intelligent mind is asking ‘why?’ ” I’ve been asking ‘why?’ almost from […]
Broken Baby Syndrome
Some who read this may find it a strange title but others of you who have worked with children from challenged environments like orphanages, or seen children abused in many of its forms in different environments, will understand what I am writing about. When I say ‘broken’ I mean babies who are emotionally and psychologically […]
“That’ll Never Work”
How many times have I heard that phrase in the almost 40 years I’ve lived here in America? The other version of it is “You can’t do that”. I first heard “You can’t do that” from a lawyer whose advice I asked (and paid for) when I was considering educating our sons at home. When […]
The Time Has Come!
I’ve just read a very thoughtful paper on professional practice as it relates to the early care of children. It wasn’t written by an American researcher. I can’t quite tell you why it is that much of what is written for the American academic market is bound up totally in theory — those who write […]
Tiny Babies In Care
Last month I visited a young friend who had her baby just three weeks before. He was born naturally but apparently about a month early, weighing just over 6lbs and needing eleven days in the NICU. He now weighs 7lbs 11oz, I believe thanks to his mum nursing him (or at least providing him breast […]