Reader James R. Schaefer (“Mission impossible,” Voice, Aug. 12), in opposition to the idea of mandated high school parenting courses, seems to have confused religious and individual freedoms with the teaching of principles and responsibilities common to everyone in society.
As parents increasingly spend less time with their children, preferring to let day-care centers, nannies and others do the job, children growing up today have decreasing role models for the loving and nurturing parents most of us knew. As such, the roles and responsibilities of proper parenting are being lost on children today.
If in doubt, one only need look at the increases in child abuse, neglect and youth crime to see that parenting skills are on the decline. Issues such as nutrition, inoculations, health and hygiene, safety, physical and emotional development and disciplinary methods should all be discussed in such a course.
Values such as treating others the way we would like to be treated, respect for authority, sharing, honesty and getting along with others transcend religious boundaries and should be part of any parenting class. One need not be of a specific religion or political orientation to agree that these are universal principles all children should learn at home.
While the teaching of sex education in schools has transpired with questionable results, and parenting courses might suffer a similar fate, to dismiss out of hand the concept of teaching proper care for children makes little sense. Perhaps including these issues in the context of sex-education classes would discourage teenagers–and others not ready for the obligations of parenting–from the activity responsible.
