Childcare… Naturally? 30 May, 2006
Childcare is headlining across the nation during this election year. It is a matter that greatly affects parents and employers – the main cogs in our societal moneymaking machine. The federal government wishes to increase the birth rate and each year they’re offering more dollars to parents for populating the nation. Childcare benefits and tax deductions are offered as enticements but rarely are the needs of children considered. A focus on numbers, timeframes and dollars motivate the debate. Childcare is big business and is currently influencing around two-thirds of all childhoods in Australia. The Australian Bureau of Statistics tells us that 66 percent of children under five in 1999 used some form of childcare. And 19 600 children were in formal childcare for more than 45 hours a week in that same year.Natural parenting is an ideology, not a dogma. It is about instinctively raising our young, and making informed decisions. Does childcare compromise or compliment our conscious parenting ideals? Are those who perceive theirs to be a natural parenting style more protective than most other parents? In compiling this article I sought the opinions of around twenty mothers of babies and young children.
