Dear Editor:
RE: Please reconsider, March 21.
After reading Sue Mckenzie’s letter about parents whining over the lack of subsidized daycare, the voice inside me is determined to be heard.
As a parent who works full time in emergency services (paramedic) in our local community, my job is difficult when it comes to family life as I work 12-hour shifts – nights, weekends and holidays.
My husband also works out of the home and we require before- and after-school daycare during the school year, and full-day daycare during the summer months.
But guess what, we are still both an active participant in raising our children and have been able to witness all of those “firsts”. On the many days we do get to spend together, we make the most out of it and make many wonderful family memories. My home daycare lady treats my children as her own and does not just do it for a pay cheque. And my children have made lifelong friendships with the other children they go to daycare with. It’s a win-win situation.
I have two boys ages 7 and 9 … what I should tell them when they are at the age to decide what they want to do with their life? If I understand Mckenzie’s point of view correctly, am I to give them a choice between going to school and preparing for a career or having children as they should stay home and care for them until they are of school age? Doing both is very much obtainable and accepted.
I feel no shame having a demanding career and yet, I am also blessed as a mother, loving and raising two beautiful boys. These boys get to see both a community role-model, learn that women have an equal and successful place in a male-dominated workforce and yet get to feel the love from a parent who places them beyond anything else. In my eyes, they are wining at life, in every way possible.
For all the parents out there, make a choice that is best for you and your family. You should never feel judged for your decision.
Marsha Sealey,
Elora