Tuesday, February 12, 2013

The Philippines between License to Parenting and Expiration of Marriage




“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?

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Westerners say “desperate times call for desperate measures.” I say “not in my country.”