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Quotes from web articles about
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Summary of speech given by
Rebecca Abrams, writer of the Daily
Telegraph's family advice column, "Homing Instinct" to WATCh's A.G.M. in
London, Spring 2003, posted on: whataboutthechildren.org.uk/ |
Like many first time mothers, Rebecca assumed
that she would return to full time work once her daughter, Jessica, reached
six months. In preparation, she began looking at day nurseries (daycare).
She found what she thought would be the ideal place: a brand-new,
well-equipped nursery with good staff/child ratios...
...she took Jessica along for the induction (orientation) week at the
nursery, (here is a summary of her experience):
'What I saw appalled me,' she said. 'Even in a state-of-the-art
nursery like this one the level of routine neglect and insensitivity to the
babies' needs was incredibly distressing to witness. In order to get
attention the babies had to be upset or frustrated enough to be crying. But
even worse than that was the way the staff changed the babies' nappies
(diapers) or fed them without making any kind of eye contact or engaging in
any kind of verbal exchange. I knew from the past six months with my
daughter that nappy-changing was a lovely opportunity for laughing and
tickling and talking and smiling at one another, but here, absolutely
nothing. At lunchtime, the children were lined up in a row in their
highchairs and one of the staff would go along the row spooning in the food,
in complete silence, her face expressionless. At home, when I fed
Jessica, it was an intimate experience. We'd sing and chat and play games.
This was mechanical, impersonal, awful. Some of the children looked quite
crushed. I found the whole set-up heart-breaking.'
Rebecca also found that the staff-child ratio, which looked so good in
theory, was pretty meaningless in practice. Rather than all being engaged
with the children, one member of staff would be warming up food, another
changing a nappy (diaper), another on the phone and, very often, one would
be off sick. 'When I asked why they didn't operate a key-person system
(which can help meet some of the babies' attachment needs in a nursery
setting), I was told it was too much trouble.' By the end of the induction
week, Rebecca had decided she couldn't possibly leave Jessica at the
nursery. 'I found it hard to understand how other parents could feel
happy with this kind of care, and I knew for certain that I wasn't. I told
the head of the nursery that I'd changed my mind, and that after a week
observing the baby room in action I no longer felt a nursery was the right
place for such a young child. She nodded in a way I'll never forget, a way
that told me as clearly as words that, whatever her job, she personally
shared my view.'
Category =
Quality |
The two-faced devil vs. the children,
by Barbara Simpson, 03-Mar-03
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com |
It's known that without love, touch and human
contact, babies die.
(But…) It's become "normal" to farm out infants and children to day care so
Mommy can work.
Barbara Simpson, "The Babe in the Bunker" as
she's known to her KSFO 560 radio talk-show audience in San Francisco, has a
20-year radio, television and newspaper career in the Bay Area and Los
Angeles.
Category =
Quality |
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Quotes from web articles about
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2003,
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Last updated:
04/30/2008
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