Prevent Child Abuse Arizona Executive Director Claire Louge recently posted on social media about the book, “Parent Nation.” In this issue’s column, we’re sharing that post.
“I just finished ‘Parent Nation’ by Dr. Dana Suskind. Folks, this is it. It beautifully articulates why we, as a nation, must support parents. If we want to promote child wellbeing and prevent child abuse, we need to support parents. If we want economic prosperity, we need to support parents. If we want a healthy nation, we need to support parents.
The book outlines why and how the U.S. doesn’t have things like paid parental leave and affordable quality childcare, and why that needs to change. In the name of preventing government overreach, we’ve left U.S. parents with nothing but bad options.
I am due to have my first child in three days. I am the Executive Director of a nonprofit, and thanks to our visionary board of directors, I will get 12 weeks of paid parental leave. My partner will not get parental leave, but we both work mostly from home. My parents are coming for a month to help us with the new baby. Though there are 51 babies ahead of us on the waitlist for our preferred childcare center, I am fairly confident we’ll be able to find some center of reasonable quality by the time we need it. It will cost as much as our mortgage, but we will be able to swing it. We will be able to add our baby to health insurance for $650 per month. It’ll be tight, but we’re finally at a point in our lives in which we can afford to have a baby. We were able to choose when to start a family.
In this country, I am extraordinarily, extraordinarily lucky. So is my daughter. I will have the time and resources to bond with and nurture her. Though I’m sure I will make plenty of mistakes and there will be plenty of challenges, she will get a strong start. That’s, sadly, exceptional. It shouldn’t be.
Read this book. It’s a fascinating, very quotable, hopeful, and inspiring call to action. We can change things. Our children deserve it, and our nation depends on it.”
Learn more about ways to build a Parent Nation at parentnation.org.
This 25-minute podcast, Big Brains: Why We Need to Invest In Parents During A Child’s Earliest Years, gives a great synopsis if you’d like to listen: https://big-brains.simplecast.com/episodes/why-we-need-to-invest-in-parents-during-a-childs-earliest-years-with-dana-suskind
Editor’s Note: look for the Strong Families, Happy Kids column in every issue of Prescott Woman Magazine. It’s designed to support parents with actionable tips and strategies they can use to create optimal environments for their children to thrive. To learn more about Prevent Child Abuse Arizona’s mission and resources visit www.pcaaz.org