The government or any other organization should never decide if someone should be a parent or not.

While anything happening to a child is horrendous and terrific, you can't license all atrocities.

But what should be required is upon parenthood..classes, training, cpr, and all around child 101 and courses in responsibility and empathy.

Heck,my hospital didn't even teach us how to swaddle.

We had to learn everything on our own. And with people waiting longer and longer to have children, a lot of information is lost. After a few years it is hard to remember what it is like to have a baby.

Babies are the easy part, when I child gets mobile and vocal is when the real fun begins.

Here is a little friendly hint from me for the population:
everyone opens doors or assists a pregnant woman.

But the woman struggling with a child, especially more then one, or is having issues with carrier, is the one that needs doors opened and assistance.

I have had people do many sweet things for me. But one of the more memorable was when I was in a grocery store line and I had a sick fussy baby in my arms. I was trying to soothe and unload my cart. The woman behind me just started unloading my cart onto the belt without a word. I gave her the defeated oh so appreciative look. And she said: I am a mother too. i will always remember that act of kindness.

Originally posted by Sundancer

For centuries people have raised children without the need for a licence, or an overweight social worker to tell them how to do it.

Time has PROVEN that child bearing and rearing comes natural for most people and animals. Most can do it without an overwhelming desire to beat or eat their offspring.

Animals pick mates for their breeding strength to ensure the success of future generations.

Some animals will not reproduce if food sources are scare that year.

Some animals have the ability to postpone births for more opportune times.

I doubt "nature" was ever about just pumping out babies because you can.

So much for human intelligence.

...if you want something to become FUBAR, let the government have control over it cuz they're professionals...

What kind of Crazy imbecile do you have to be to say the govt should have input on reproduction?

I suppose that the Rockerfellas and Obamas and Clintons and Blair's and Gore's etc, etc of the world have more insight on how should reproduce and can predict the outcome better than nature it's self right?

because you know... we failed to go from Monkeys to Mankind without these freaks involved right?

LOL everyone on ats is an expert in everything, you all know that trailer trash mom might not give birth to the next Einstein that get's us off this rock without some class or without dad around right?

Because the greatest minds that have Freed Humanity have had great fricken childhoods.... especially back in times when the life expectancy was 24 and you died at first need of a root canal...

Because a higher percentage on paper of criminals come from dysfunctional homes and poverty we should FORGET the MILLIONS of children who draw inspiration from such circumstance and go on to super excel

perhaps maybe we should read the percentages of children who go on to higher than average functionality from such circumstances...

but oh wait.... they only fund studies of children who end up in prison... they don't actually fund studies of super achievers, who overcome the odds...

Perhaps maybe some of you need to not just look at research but Who funds the research and what their actual agenda is is?

It would be nice I suppose

To allow a handful of us to have unlimited beach front property with endless miles of nature preserves surrounding them with all the benefits of modern technology yet only 1/5 of the people... and all those who BUILT that infra structure for them reduced by Eugenics to a handful of servants...

But I'd personally rather bring 10 kids to "their" beach and leave a giant poop right on their doorstep ring the door bell set it on fire and run...

But that's just me...

Because i'll be damned to hell if I watch an entire infrastructure built by generations of hard working people built to create a world of limitless possibilities just for a handful of us who "think" they are better, to kill everyone else off and keep it to themselves...

Parenting be licensed?

Over my dead body....

Like I want a world where these in breeds reproduce their one child at 51 with even MORE genetic disorders and insanity traits than the last 1,000 years of inbreeding between their families gave us in the first place lol

Originally posted by Jess_Undefined Me and my sister had to stay at the house alone, and my mothers friend actually put her twin girls in the closet. The twins were only about 6 months old. It was ridiculous.

I must come from a different Social Class because every closet I have had are bigger and nicer than most people's apartments! Wall to wall carpeting, climate control, best lighting in the house, decorative French Doors, et cetera. As I child I lived in my closet. It was my Sanctuary within my Sanctuary, my Holiest of Holies. As an adult, how nice the walk-in closets happen to be is the deciding factor in a home purchase. My last home the closet measured 10'x50'. The secret door into the basement, and the hidden peep-holes into the living room were the cherry on top for me.

Even now, if I were to banish my 12 year old to a closet she'd have a blast role-playing Harry Potter. It wouldn't be a punishment for her but an opportunity to have fun.

So, I guess this goes to show that the shoe doesn't always fit the foot. What could be child abuse in some instances, could be not only acceptable, but parental behavior to be encouraged in other instances.

Which is precisely why Government shouldn't be the deciding factor of who can and who cannot procreate.

[edit on 9-8-2009 by fraterormus]

Originally posted by fraterormus
My last home the closet measured 10'x50'. The secret door into the basement, and the hidden peep-holes into the living room were the cherry on top for me.

Personally - I fail to understand what the size of the closet has to do with the intent of the parent.

I played in the attic - - it was my sanctuary - - but I was never locked in.

I could see the reasons behind a parenting license. There are some very valid arguments for it. However I also believe there are some very valid arguments for licensing people to use technology.

But seriously, I think some serious psychological and financial scrutiny should be applied to those wanting to have children. Although on the opposite hand, I think there is a lot to be said for the level of individuality that comes from raising a child with nothing more than your own life experiences.

A tough choice either way.

One more thing I wanted to add...

What you need to remember about licenses is that when you apply for a driver license for example and pay you the fees you are essentially paying society for the priviledge to drive on the tax dollar payed for streets, the tax dollar paid for police that responds to the accident scene, and the tax paid for fire department that responds to the fire...amongst the other regulatory tax dollar paid for services...

paying a fee to have a child is like saying ok society, I owe you for having my offspring.....yes. laughable.

i owe no one for my children. and no one owes me for theirs...

some countries (including the u.s.) actually pay for adults to have children...

the other way around would not work here.

even people protest about chinas 2 child laws all the time...

Honestly I don't think parenting licenses are a good idea. I mean I hate it when children are hurt or murdered (I can hardly stand watching it in a movie) but something like this would only solve a small fraction of child abuse/murder cases? And what about the parents who get a license and then turn out to horrible parents? And let's not forget that you can't really control who gets pregnant and who doesn't with a piece of paper stating they can have a baby...

Sorry if this doesn't make any sense I'm really tired lol