“I have been assured by a very knowing American
of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a
year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed,
roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a
fricassee or a ragout.” – Jonathan Swift
Sounds icky, right? Well, what we just read came
from one of the most brilliant Irish writers of the 18th century who
wrote in his essay that the answer to their tax problem is the raising and
selling of children… for food. Yeah, like hogs. He intended it to be a satire
but it rings a bell.
Ireland and the rest of England also faced the
same problems we hurdle today here, in the Philippines – taxation,
overpopulation, divorce and bad parenting. Confronted with the same problems,
people during their time thought of many ways to cut tax hikes, subdue
population, settle marital separations and stop bad parenting.
Like any person who is face with problems in both
sides, from above and below, we, people, tend to formulate desperate ideas.
Sometimes, we get so desperate that we drop all the ethics and morals we have
to solve these problems.
License to
Parenting
Lately, people in our country raised the issue of
License to Parenting. Any person with a half-brain will understand what this
means. Like a man wanting to have a driver’s license, aspiring couples should
prove that they are responsible and prepared enough to become parents before
they make the baby.
Complicated, it seems, but it sounds reasonable
in one way or another. We are no blind to see that many parents neglect their
children. Issues of fathers beating their children and mothers abandoning their
sons and daughters are so widespread that maybe our own neighbor did or is
doing this. Parenting is the most sensitive job in the world but the problem
is, anyone can get it.
The home is the first school of a child but how
can he learn if his parents aren’t good teachers? Bad parents are more likely
to destroy their children’s development and future.
People are asking that if this thing her should
be realized in the country, how can parents avail of their licenses? There are
suggestions that psychological exams, capability inspections and other measure
are to be used in the determination of whether the parents are emotionally,
psychologically and financially capable of raising children.
People also ask: what if we violated the law
(should it be passed as a law in the Congress)? Well, the 2nd Athena
Convention of Debaters in Cagayan State University last 2012 formulated some
speculations. Parents could be imprisoned, fined or required community service
from and their children could be held by the DSWD until such time they show
improvements or should prove competent to avail of the License to Parenting.
But, of course, these are only speculations.
Others argue: should this law be made, will we be
assured of the end irresponsible parenting?
The answer is apparently ‘NO’. Parenting is
affective. It involves emotion and though education and tests can develop and
measure it, there is no best way or no set of characteristics that could
determine the line between a bad and a good parent. You’ll be surprised to
think that an ape can be and is sometimes far better in rearing its child than
a human does. This is true.
“I have been assured by a very knowing
acquaintance, that a young healthy child well raised is at a year old a most
wholesome treasure, whether marginalized, middle classed, or rich; and I make
no doubt that he will equally be a help to his own country.”
Expiration
of Marriage
In the same way and time as License to Parenting,
the issue of Expiration of Marriage was raised. This was thought of because of
many unsuccessful marriages and maltreated women and children.
Instead of divorce, they say, couples have the
choice of not renewing their marriage contract after several years. Some say 7,
some, 15 years. If couples figured out that they do not love each other
anymore, they could forget their marital responsibilities to each other after
the expiration date. Like sardines from the grocery shop, wouldn’t you say?
Now, the problem comes when these couples are
parents. How about the children? How would they feel?
***
Westerners say “desperate times call for desperate
measures.” I say “not in my country.”
