It's time to change our attitudes about daycare
Metrovalley Newspaper Group - The Tri-City News
June 24, 2008
Opinion: Philip Davies, Coquitlam

The Editor,

I enjoyed the article "Different daycare values" in the Sunday, June 15 Tri- City News regarding Mrs. Bjorn from Denmark's thoughts on our daycare system.

The thing I found most interesting is her comment on the attitude in Denmark about daycare being a positive experience for kids. I agree with her completely that here in Canada and the U.S., there is a stereotypical reaction that sending your kids to daycare is a bad thing. I have two young children and my wife and I experienced this attitude when we both decided to work outside the home. I remember friends and acquaintances jokingly remarking "Oh, your kids go to daycare, that explains it." I even had family members suggest we were not doing the right thing for our kids.

A good friend of mine told me when he had his first child there were days when he would send his child to daycare even on his days off. My friend works as a fireman and gets many weekdays off. I remember asking him why he did this. He indicated that there were days when he wanted to complete certain tasks around the house, like home renovations.

These were difficult to work on with a two-year-old to watch. Sending his son to daycare meant they would both have a more enjoyable day.

My friends thought the process was also related to the way our system here is set up financially. As anyone who uses daycare full-time knows you pay for the spot even if your child does not attend that day. My friend figured if he is paying for the space he may as well use it.

Attitude is the most ignorant thing we have in our lives. We need to change our attitude regarding the benefits of daycare.