HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1992-08-05, Page 4•
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Thoaa- 9 kvooate, Atioupt 5, 1992
Publisher: Jim Beckett
Nwtra ham Adnan Harte
Don smith
Ceengstasetion 1llanite= Deb Lord
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•
Opini�n
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11)1'I)I 1 1,1
"Men are never so likely
to settle a question rightly
as when they discuss it
freely."
... Thomas Macauley
Exeter, Orrt.rN 110MM 1114
L W.
Teispho n 1
at424MonIle.,
IrAM.d s LN.
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Images of family life
he largest child-care. study in
Canadian history has found a
simple, sobering fact that in
the long run, could have more impact
on Canadian life than the free trade
agreement or Eric Lindros.
"Established images of family life no
longer match reality," a StatsCan report
says.
A declining birth rate, rising divorce
rate, and increasing numbers of moth-
ers with small children in the work-
place are combining to rearrange the
physiognomy of Canadian life.
Here are some startling statistics:
• More than half of all families with
children under five had both parents
working or were single -parent opera-
tions;
• Two-thirds of all parents hold full-
time jobs while 43 percent of single
parents worked full or part time;
• 55 percent of families with children
under six needed some form of child
care for parents to keep working.
Child care is the buzz phrase of the
1990s, it seems.
This is a troubling. picture of Canadi-
an society.
r' It has been evident for years that sin -
41e -income .families with father out
slaying dragons and mother keeping the
home hearth burning is as much a part
of the past as chrome fins on Cadillacs
and five -cent cigars; but the numbers
show things to be much more advanced
than anyone might have thought.
If indeed, half of all the toddlers
around today are being raised by people
other than their parents, what will be-
come of them?
Children do not bond to day care cen-
tres or to the professional mothers and
professional friends looking after them.
Children bond to their families.
The power of the family to imbue its
constituents with conscience, respect,
love and social membership is the bind-
ing energy of our civilization.
What will happen to a society when
millions of children raised with no alle-
giance to anything but themselves, hav-
ing been shown by their parents that per-
sonal gratification is all that matters,
suddenly find themselves free of the in-
stitutional constraints that have held
them in bondage?
It is true that many familes need two
incomes to survive now.
It, is true that most single parents are
faced with real hardship and have little
choice about how their children are
raised.
The problem is not theirs alone.
We will a1I be dealing with generations
of unrepentant egotists unless the trend
to institutionalizing our children is re-
versed.
from the St. Marys Journal -Argus
The new millenium? I'm in no hurry
I was having some difficulty
coming to grips with the fact
that in less than 8 years well
have not just a -new century, but
a new millenium.
So I sat down the other day,
making a little projection. Not
on world affairs -= I'll leave that
to the govdmment soothsayers
and their crystal balls. But on
our own family.
Where might everybody be?
What might they be doing? And
what will it all mean to us?
Now if you're a pensioner, say
in your late sixties, predicting
your future is no big deal.
Chances are that in 2002 you'll
still be collecting your pension,
comfortably pegged to inflation.
You'll be ten years wiser, with a
few more wrinkles perhaps, but
your circumstances will be more
or less the same.
What about ours, though?
Here we arc in 1992 with 13 -
year old Alex who is taller than
his Mom but not yet as tall as
his Dad. And then there are
Duncan and Stephanie, 10 year-
old twins - no trouble whatsoev-
er. Duncan still wants me to
pick him up and twirl him
around in the air. And Stephanie
still wants me to tuck her in at
night and sing her a lullaby.
Chances are that in 2002, Alex
(23 and six foot one) will be liv-
ing hundreds of miles away.
hopefully not missing too many
classes and Rnntically working
on his Master's. When he tuns
out of funds (again), we nht
sec him smiling on the video-
phone. Well transfer a oeuple=of
thousand ,dollars via :modern,
hoping that 1heyl1 last
weak er So. At VIu(iinas
come home in his solar -powered
turbo -car and introduce his lat-
est girlfriend.
Duncan- (almost 21, six .foot
two) might be studying in one
Peter's
Point
•
Peter Hessel
city, Stephanie (almost 21, five
foot ten) in another. They'll be
in constant touch with us and
with each other via whatever tel-
ecommunication links the elec-
tronics magicians will have con-
jured up. We'll see them
regularly on the phone and on
our compu-vision screens, but
their rooms, the colourfully clut-
tered rooms of their childhood
will stand empty most of the
year. At least they won't gather
dust - thanks to the automatic
sensor -controlled central vaou-
all system well probably have.
You think I'm dreaming?
Well, I believe that in my wild-
est dreams I cannot imagine
some of the changes that will
overwhelm us between now and
2002.
0 you don't believe me, just
travel back 10 years instead of
,fotnvatd. An 1982 I was hammer -
.ins ,away curt .an fOlbt *Ilan*
typewriter - now a maw
piece.. V00Ple,nweee .11M
i 1osm m.1D•aahObetrLtmlp0t-
ber these?). rifles lad as -
tales *how a1W1t Aoalokil
shorthand, and clerks who were
adding long lines of figures with
adding machines. Barbecues
meant .dumping ,charcoals into, a
bin and lighting them with a
Metal loop that got red-hot. Cars
needed snow fires in the winter.
And a hundred dollars was still a
lot of money.
In 2002 we won't have to coax
the kids to mow the lawn or to
rake the leaves. Our kids - our
adult kids - will be far away. If
we want lawn, we'll have to do it
ourselves or hire "consultants".
Yes, everybody will be consult-
ing. There will be sanitary instal-
lation consultants (formerly
plumbers), health care consul-
tants (formerly doctors and nurs-
es) and fiscal consultants (for-
merly bankers and accountants).
There'll be no more services, just
information. Mostly digital.
Loads and loads of it. We'll just
have to leam how to use it.
So in summary, I see Elizabeth
communicating at her work sta-
tion, and me transmitting and re-
ceiving data at mine. Maybe oc-
casionally, on some cold winter
evening, we might decide to tum
the clock back. To the early
nineties. Light a wood fere may-
be. Or heat up a bowl of soup in
the old fashioned microwave.
Mead a book even. Or write the
children letters by hand. Yes,
that would be very extravagant.
Because it'll cost ,a bundle to
send actual letters via .a tramcar-
Ultion consultant. Mali, of
confuse, will be a thing of the
Pon
Came ao thunk ,of it, i,m lrt ao
AlmAmy you?
io Mach NO2. What
,obu
BRIAN MULRONEY
IN
HONEY, 1
SCREWED UP
THE COUNTRY
Camping, oh yes
Oh yes, camping.
The thrill of having mosqui-
toes eat at you, the smell of
smoke which will soon be stuck
to your clothing.
Camping isn't something I do
often, in fact I can count on
three fingers how many times
I've done it in the past five
years.
The most recent was this
Civic Holiday weekend when
my wife Mary Ellen, my dog
Simon . and myself joined the
Exeter Imperials at the Elimi-
nationsin.Owtrt Sound.
Ever try to get two adults
and a 70 pound black lab into a
three-man tent? Normally I
would have enjoyed the ro-
mantic atmosphere created for
my spouse and I, but the dog
innterupted.
11 you ever think about tak-
ing a dog into the great out-
doors, think again. Harrison
Park in Owen Sound was the
site of a dog show, and they
were everywhere.
Big ones, small ones and
some who wouldn't keep their
yaps shut.
Even if there hadn't been a
Illby
Fred
Groves
On the
Road
show there, it still would have
.been tough for Simon. Simply
because it was a new experi-
ence for him and to tell you the
truth, I don't think he enjoyed
it.
When you camp, expect the
unexpected; especially rain.
My faithful dog sat in the car
and watched it rain, and rain
and rain. He didn't enjoy being
kept in the car and I didn't like
the idea of my pal being con-
tained and forced to do nothing
else but sleep.
But like I say this was an ex-
periment and Simon did learn
a few things. Like never get
too close to a pen with geese
and if you are going to jump in
the creek, watch out for duck
crap.
Oh yes, camping.
Listening to children scream
and yell at 6 a.m., many of
them punishing their parents
who went to bed a couple of
hours earlier.
Camping is togetherness, es-
pecially when it comes to shar-
ing a washroom with total
strangers.
Camping is sharing can
openers, firewood and food.
But camping, believe it or not,
is fun. Togethemess and close-
ness and getting to know each
other a little better.
Where else can you go, get
down and sleep on the ground
for S16 and not worry about
getting dirty?
Camping, oh yes, you've got
to like it.
Opc,r, t'.ctt(:' tc, WIPP
Keep ambulance service private
Dear Paul:
I am writing in 'espouse to a
"united", (a •rare occurrence in
Canada these days) oosamumica-
tion artick in the village of Zu-
rich's July 22, 1992 Lakeshore Ad-
vance newspaper. By 'united' I
we t to brinicle wto as youratieatian that
thHoff-
man's Dashwood-
cas' Seafocth sad Qisaoa Aatitu-
Iance, Zurich AmbaiMuoe, Fi 'wt's
North Middlesex Alainjw0e aad
wraith's Lucas Aas alwoe,nirvic-
es.
If goverament's e1 estive
is to decrease wa spride. >wripe
out worker's ,4y
industry wily! 0141116 WOWS see
bodld in
entrepreneurs mod
take away trout sine
pyment of
ec, a manually
encournSiell .of
ther bertha*
more taus d
fres of resentment, then by all
weans eliminate this group of ex-
ceptional !sumac beings and take
over Canada's ambulance service
industry. This move will only
mamathe sake over of Canada's
postal service.
cows postal workers we an
obviously. rve
spur a liaison with
trans. My snail is aoiaditeciod
Or damn �ty>ft►Lln about
the etrt-
y
whoa yea drop
mil in die box
ga�K
C111-.j�r
l ;#tgdC #w,t]Y torr
4411". !rd a asii6Dut 1Qige Itauch
They don't sit around and gripe and
they always have a bandaid for
anyone who needs it. They are
quick to respond to a call, the am-
bulance is in 1mmaculase condi-
tion, the equipment is state-of-the-
art and the attendants are constant-
ly upgrading their skills.
Is the government going to
millions to ensure these stards
are kept up? How can we afford it?
You don't Deed to "research the
recommendations" after -the -fact.
lust poll Canadians, thaey'll give
you ea the s� nmbulanr user is
�b1��at�c� services as
it is. Leave workers' pride where it
belongs: It goon a lot further than
government g I would appreciate it if you
would pass these and an other
volts along to those pots.. tn-
Siocerely frustrated and totally
exasperated. y
Lyn