Friday, September 4, 2009

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

The bassinet has been assembled, the sheets have been laundered, and the car seat with its base have been installed in my car. I know that as ready as I feel, although I have a few more errands I would like to get done before the birth, I cannot truly anticipate the experience and transition into motherhood. But I feel like now that the baby has a place to sleep, she can come home, happy and healthy.

In order to take your baby, all you need is to show evidence of a car seat. If you are homeless and living on the street (G-d Forbid) but you produce a car seat, you may sign yourself and your new child out of the hospital. I believe this to be the law in most countries on the planet, and do think that there should be some investigation into the fitness of the parents and their environment, before you leave a child to the mercy of a random life.

I don't think I will read the Israeli weekend paper, because there seem to be all sorts of articles about single parents living in poverty and misery, or about the number of families who need financial assistance just to put food on the table, or celebrate the upcoming Jewish holidays. Without trying to remain naive and idealistic - I know that birth will involve some pain, and that raising a child is far from simple - I don't want or need to hear horror stories at the moment.

I am too excited, and grinning from ear to ear.

3 comments:

koshergourmetmart said...

it is naive and idealistic to think that "there should be some investigation into the fitness of the parents and their environment, before you leave a child to the mercy of a random life." Many agencies that deal with families are overworked investigating actual cases of abuse or suspected abuse and there are several instances of children dying due to caseworkers not catching these problems. How would this be paid for? How would this be managed? How can you tell if a couple about to have a baby would be good parents? How would you be able to tell a single mother would be a good parent? Also, should someone not become a mother b/c they are homelessness? Today with homelessness more prevalent (at least in the US) due to the recession, and people losing their homes, good people who are good parents are caught in this problem

Doc said...

Don't get me wrong, I have no idea how a policy would be enforced and I would not put that kind of power in one person's or one agency's hands. It just strikes me as slightly absurd that you need a license to drive, to work professionally and for a whole series of so-called important life experiences. Yet anyone can conceive a baby, and all you need to take your baby home from the hospital is a car seat.
I do think that just as there are lamaze type birth classes, there should also be parenting classes, because I really do believe that being a parent is the most important job a person will ever have.
As far as paying for it, I am even less qualified to deal with that question, as every country on the planet at the moment seems to have issues with their health care systems, and I don't think that any particular solution thus far covers it.

koshergourmetmart said...

none of those things you need a license for can predict how truly qualified you are for that license. people with driver licenses drive drunk or have gotten into accidents that have killed others; doctors with licenses get disbarred and sued for malpractice; some people who get married murder their spouses. Some people you may think would make awful parents may be the best kind once given the chance