Oh boy, I thought I was up to date and knowledgeable about what goes on in parent land. I guess I must be sleeping; perhaps I’m imbibing too many cappuccinos lately. Ahem…let me put my mug down.
So now I’ve heard that parents are outsourcing the care of there children to other people. Yep, just like an employer will outsource a job, parents can and do outsource taking care of Ben and Mary or little Johnetta to somebody else.
If Ben wants to learn to ride his bike, it’s not mom or dad running behind him hanging on for dear life, nope, it’s the faux-parent! If little Johnetta needs to be potty-trained, it’s not mommy, it’s the faux-parent who has been assigned the task of teaching the children how to do those things. If a cupcakes need to be made or sewing needs to be done….yep, that task is also outsourced to the faux-parent to take care of them.
Excuse me but are we being a tad nutty? Is this a good idea? I don’t get it. I can understand that parents get overwhelmed and tired and may need a break once in a while…but to outsource the care of your kids?!.
Now I'm not talking about day care here. I'm not talking about mom and dad goes to work and the child goes to the nanny or the day care center. I'm talking stuff parents would share with their kids during their spare times…bonding with the kids, having fun time, what’s that phrase…. “Quality time” together. Where did that go? Or is that passé now?
I know there are some parents who have no clue about raising their children and might need some help now and again, or maybe a lot of help, and perhaps grandma or great grandma or Aunt Sally is not around to offer advice or give their input; Isn’t this taking things a bit too far?
What does this say to the child? Will that child not wonder if daddy or mommy loves me?
I don’t disagree with a parent taking classes to learn more about parenting and being a better parent or something else that will enhance their relationship with their family. I most certainly disagree with the leaving someone in charge of your child for the rest of their young lives. What kind of relationship will you have with your kids when you do that? I’ll tell you what kind, none!
I’m all for hiring someone to clean your house if you can afford it, or taking the laundry out to be done or even getting your meals cooked elsewhere, yep, that’s done too. As long as all this will free up your time to spend with the kids as a family and getting to do things together that you don’t normally get the chance or time to do.
I would love it if there were more hours in the day so that I can have enough time for myself after I’m done with work and the kids, and the husband! And now that school has started, well, I’m going to have to somehow carve a 30 hour day! Fitting in enough time for everything.
We all can’t be super moms and dads and as much as we want to give our children “the world”, the most important thing we can give them is our time. Time spent loving and playing and talking and doing stuff they will remember for the rest of their lives.
That’s the key to being a parent, just loving them and cherishing those moments together. Everything else will fall into place somehow; they always do don’t they?!