Children First

Penelope Leach is a widely published author on the topic of babies and children. She has written practical guides for new parents on how to care for newborns through to toddlers. Children First is a philosophical look at the problems surrounding current child rearing practises in most developed nations, and how these socieities fail to put their children first.

She talks about our misplaced priorities, like the need to keep the home supplied with the latest consumer goods and the need to maintain a position in a company, that sees mothers back in the workforce too soon after the birth of their babies. In most families, a second income is essential to keep ahead of creditcard debt and to pay off enormous mortgages. As well, the low status afforded to stay-at-home mothers, makes working women terrified of losing the recognition that their career entails, by staying home with children.

Here in Australia it is widely thought that for a woman to be considered successful, she shouldn't be settling for anything less than "having it all". Women are seduced into thinking that without a career and a home filled with all the gadgets and latest furniture, that they are somehow deficient. Women are generally given very negative feedback about the option of staying at home with their children. The first argument against having children at home with them is that the woman needs to be active in society, to be stimulated, in the company of adults. The second argument made is that children need to be with other children, for 'socialisation'. I also think that many women feel completely empty, unless they are busy working outside the home and that they would no sooner spend their days with their small children or working within the confines of the home, than they would strapped into a dentist's chair.

My opinion is that having a career and managing a home with small children is a juggling act that leaves a woman with less time to enjoy her life or her family and enough stress to bring on physical illness. Of course there is also the situation here in Australia of the widening gap between families which can afford to have one parent at home caring for children while the other works, and those where both parents receive minimal wages and these combined are barely enough to maintain a basic standard of living. It can be tough to provide for a family in our society, especially when advertising in the mass media and suburban attitudes encourage us to spend our money to 'keep up with the Joneses". I also empathise with women who feel unfulfilled by life at home with small children, but "Children First" asks us to consider that the essential needs of new-borns and children aged until at least three, is for one-on-one care from a close loving adult-not institutionalised care.

Penelope Leach also criticises the institutionalised care that children of school-age receive. Based on her observations of many different schools and their different environments, Peneople gives a first-hand glimpse of the conditions in which our children are being cared for. She notes the stress which both children and their carers experience with overcrowding of classes and the inadequate supervision of children in lunchtime periods or outdoor play time.

With bullying being a big problem in most schools here in Australia, it is so important for children to be carefully watched over during play time, yet the child/teacher ratio for such time is considerably low in typical schools. It is interesting that lately the issue of female agression in schools has undergone scrutiny. The biggest problem in dealing with bullying between girls, is that it can go undetected for periods of time, because the way that girls bully each other is less visual than the rough actions of boys. It is usually verbal or subtle in its use of body language, nonetheless, it is just as harmful and must be addressed by the school immediatley.

Penelope Leach goes on to explain that with so many children placed in extended care outside of the home because of the working parent situation, families are heavily relying on these centres not only to care for and educate their children, but to 'rear' them as well. She observes that a huge majority of families rely on these systems to do much more than what they are designed to. She warns that this is a big mistake, because not only is it not the role of teachers and carers etc, but that they are incapable of doing it anyway.

The big question she begs us to ask ourselves is "Who is raising my child?" Her views are strong. Maybe her book could piss a lot of people off. But I like what she has to say.