Earlier this week, a former local daycare operator was cleared of charges of assault against children in her care, as well as against an employee. And that decision has left me reeling. As a parent, I get that kids can be difficult, even out of control. The daycare owner told the court she sometimes tied children to chairs — with a soft scarf — as a form of discipline.
The Court also suggested that the actions must be done as a means of educating the child about correcting a behaviour. Parents place an enormous amount of trust in our childcare providers. In my opinion, they are paid not only to keep our children safe from harm, but also to nurture them and react calmly and constructively to tantrums and bad behaviour.
I can accept childcare providers who have a bad day and react with the same short-tempered snappy responses I sometimes let slip with my kids. Repealing Section 43 was included as one of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Perhaps this case can help spark the discussion again about what we, as a country, consider to be reasonable ways in which to teach children how to behave. I agree with the idea that everyone is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
I understand that leads to many court rulings that seem unfair to those of watching from the sidelines. But I think the fault in this case lies with the law itself. Post Comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Buzz Local: Orchards and More. Leave a Reply Cancel reply.
