We recently attended the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars convention in Philadelphia, September 29-30. Fellowship between talks and during the meals is the highlight of this convention.
I was seated next to a man who relayed a story about the problems with teaching in his town. A couple moved to his town where the man had grown up. The man’s wife did not have to work but chose to teach because she wanted to improve the community where her husband had lived. After several years of teaching, she quit. The kids did not listen to her nor did they listen to the new young teachers in their 20s who were eager to teach. Teaching these children was almost impossible.
I relayed this information to a friend who is well-known in Catholic circles for her writing and teaching. Her first response was: “Sheila, you know why don’t you? It’s daycare.”
I have written what others have said and written in the past about the importance of the mother during the early years and the problems with daycare. But today this message is silent. Mothers need to be told how important it is for them to be present to their children.
Of course, God provided this motherly care for the young child during the early years through breastfeeding. This natural care is consistent, keeps the mother near her child, and provides an excellent foundation for the optimal development of the child. Later the special care by the father is also important, but during the early years nothing beats the presence of the mother.
Sheila Kippley
The First Three Years