Daycare as grave matter

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Is it any wonder that Catholic Church in the U.S. is shrinking when priests like this guy go off on another “gee it was better in the old days” rant. Society today is not what it was in the 50’s, mothers have to work outside the home to afford the raise kids given the massive expense these days. Yes it would be better if all mothers could stay at home with the kids, dad’s one income could support the family comfortably, and the good guys always won and justice was always done. The priest ought to get his head out of the sand, and make some positive contribution rather than act like a talking dinosaur. Guys like this are the reason only 22% of Catholics attend Mass every Sunday. They, like so many outside the church, see the RCC as a fossil, a relic of times past.
 
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I think the other issue is the presumption that it is always on the mother to be the one at home with the kids. If a couple can afford a parent to stay home, it is up to them to decide how that works best for their family.
It may be that the mother is a higher wage-earner, is happier in the workplace; the father may want a few years at home with his kids. It’s not up to Fr. Ripperger, it’s up to them.
 
Well, if you are a follower of this priest, who is likely to be pregnant, or nursing an infant at any given time? Usually makes more sense for Mommy to be home, rather than Daddy, especially with a nursing infant.
 
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Right on the money here.

This is why I don’t understand the claims that there is some lengthy, definitive Catholic teaching on this subject. Our current labor system brought about by the Industrial Revolution is a historical novelty. You cannot take statements (of which I haven’t even seen any) that talk about women not working outside of the house and apply them to today’s situation. In an agrarian society, virtually everyone works from home, so it’s a non-issue.
 
I’m sure your grandparents did a great job. Some are great. My point is that grandparents/ family are not automatically preferable to daycare simply because they are family. I trust my mother, but my MIL is flaky and very scatter brained and anxious. Daycare is preferable to me over her watching him, even if she didn’t work full time.
 
SacredHeartBassist said:
In that very same talk he said it’s sinful for a wife to say no to sex when she has a headache and said what kind of man refuses his wife and also said that men should work three jobs instead of their wife working at all
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Maybe a tired man who has to get up early the next day or who is scared of another pregnancy?

I feel like a lot of this stuff would be better addressed by a married deacon.
 
Let us not forget Pope John Paul II:

“And what shall we say of the obstacles which in so many parts of the world still keep women from being fully integrated into social, political and economic life? We need only think of how the gift of motherhood is often penalized rather than rewarded, even though humanity owes its very survival to this gift. Certainly, much remains to be done to prevent discrimination against those who have chosen to be wives and mothers. As far as personal rights are concerned, there is an urgent need to achieve real equality in every area: equal pay for equal work, protection for working mothers, fairness in career advancements, equality of spouses with regard to family rights and the recognition of everything that is part of the rights and duties of citizens in a democratic State.”
 
My point was that, his understanding of tradition aside, there is no definitive teaching that women should remain in the home. How could there be, when that very notion is comparatively recent? Therefore, it falls into the category of his opinion – not a binding teaching.
 
I tried, but as soon as he said that daycare is 30 on 1 he lost me, and has no idea what he’s talking about.
 
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LittleWay16 said:
I’m sure your grandparents did a great job. Some are great. My point is that grandparents/ family are not automatically preferable to daycare simply because they are family. I trust my mother, but my MIL is flaky and very scatter brained and anxious. Daycare is preferable to me over her watching him, even if she didn’t work full time.
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Yeah, the last time I visited my parents, they were in charge of my 3-year-old nephew but also running the store at the same time.

My dad left nephew watching cartoons and then walked down the driveway (about a quarter mile) to the store. Neither of my parents was in a big hurry to get back to nephew. I expect he was left alone at their house for at least 20 minutes (this was all on the same property in a rural setting). Hopefully he stayed glued to his cartoons!

Seeing that zapped any inclination I have to leave them in charge of my youngest.

Just biologically being a grandparent doesn’t guarantee good judgment.
 
It’s fine if you choose not to put your kid in day care. It just seems like you’re a little salty about this issue, that’s all.
 
You probably won’t like this answer, but women are biologically and culturally oriented to be at home with their kids. It is a modern concept for a woman to be working and for the husband to stay at home.
 
I think there is a certain amount of sense in mothers being at home or closer to home when pregnant or with very little children, just because it does take physical and mental energy to carry, deliver, and possibly feed a baby, and that just doesn’t apply to dads. That said, there are always a lot of factors to consider, and children need their fathers, too.
 
pensmama87 said:
I think there is a certain amount of sense in mothers being at home or closer to home when pregnant or with very little children, just because it does take physical and mental energy to carry, deliver, and possibly feed a baby, and that just doesn’t apply to dads. That said, there are always a lot of factors to consider, and children need their fathers, too.
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But then again, that’s an argument against pregnant moms being left in charge of toddlers and preschoolers all day…
 
MikeInVA said:
You probably won’t like this answer, but women are biologically and culturally oriented to be at home with their kids. It is a modern concept for a woman to be working and for the husband to stay at home.
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Its a modern post-industrial concept for the father to work away at an office or in a factory… traditionally, he was just outside in the fields, while mom was working equally hard around the house.
 
That’s why we need the village!

Yeah, the answer is definitely not, “let the mom be home all day with a ton of kids and never see other adults while Dad is always at work.” That is an incredibly novel and dangerous setup, too.
 
Yeah. Even if I were to stay home, the best my kids could expect is 4 kids on 1 adult attention during the summer.
 
  1. As I stated earlier, mothers are extremely busy, and always have been.
  2. Traditionally the mother cared for her children; the father did not stay at home while his wife hunted and farmed.
 
The mother may have helped with the farmwork, and housework was much more involved than it is today. She may have had a trade or assisted her husband in his trade.

The home/work divide was not nearly so stark as it’s assumed to be now.
 
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