Introduction
Child rearing, also known as parenting, requires the to-be parents to prepare holistically to raise a child or even a family. This is because parenting is a massive step in anyone’s life. The parents support and encourage their child’s emotional, social, physical, and intellectual development from conception until adulthood. Parenting, therefore, demands a high level of maturity and preparedness. This paper develops a parenting license if the government would require all parents to obtain a parenting license before siring children.
License name
The license I would develop would be named responsible parenthood, as it would require parents to undertake different surveys, interviews, and personal development strategies to evaluate the parenting style they are capable of. The other approach would guarantee parents excellent preparedness for the new role. The interviews and surveys will only favor some parents to obtain a responsible parenthood license if they meet a specific criterion.
Requirements
Determining the specific licensing criterion could be difficult since some requirements could discriminate against some groups. For instance, if the standard requires a family to have two parents, then single women needing a child would be discriminated against. The parenting license should therefore offer some cases of exemption to parents who do not meet specific requirements to allow them to appeal in court. The minimum criteria before obtaining a parenting license meet particular guidelines and rules.
First, the parents must be financially stable as children have many needs that must be met. Some basic requirements for a child include shelter, health, clothes, and food. Parents should not live on a hand-to-mouth basis, as they should have a weekly plan to provide for their children. A family living below the poverty line before having a child may create a stressful environment affecting the child’s development and even the parent’s quality of life. Meeting the basic needs of kids would create anxiety and depression for the parent as they would have to look for multiple jobs or work for longer hours (Ashcraft, 2019). However, the child would miss the opportunity to bond with the parents. Parents should therefore have a stable income to qualify for the responsible parenthood license.
Additionally, parents should have time to extend their love and attention to their children at all times. Parents should, therefore, spend only a short time working or away from their child to create a bond that will last for a lifetime. Parents should also create time within the day specifically to watch their children and interact with them for positive development. Previous studies show that children develop stronger relationships with their caregivers hence adapting behaviors that do not correspond to their parents (Ashcraft, 2019). Parents should therefore create time for their children to lay a solid foundation for growth and development.
Age is also a requirement for the responsible parenthood license. All parents obtaining the license must be above 18 years. The requirement eliminates teenage pregnancies, teenage motherhood, and school dropouWhenhen teens become mothers before completing their education, they often drop out of school to become parents. Teenage motherhood is complicated as many may need support from their parents or partners to raise their children. Establishing this requirement would motivate teens to work diligently and complete their education to obtain a license.
Further, education is a requirement for parents to obtain a license. A parent must be educated to support a child’s emotional, intellectual, and physical development. Education equivalent to a college degree will also open financial opportunities for a parent to meet a child’s basic needs. A parent holding a college degree or working towards acquiring it shows hope of a successful life. A college degree is, therefore, a requirement as it helps parents invest in their futures and their children’s future.
Finally, the child and the parent should have a support system, including friends, spouses, and other family members. The support system will support the parent in raising the child. With a support system, the parent may stay energized and energized because they can no longer cater to the child’s needs. The support system will also help the parent through advice and encouragement when the going gets tough in the event of parenting (Phua, 2020). Parents should therefore obtain the license with a support system.
Different empirical studies that support the specifics should establish the set criteria and requirements. Although this topic has become controversial in the modern world, different studies show that parents must understand their responsibility toward their children to give them a better life. Parents should also attend different educational programs like seminars to understand the different milestones of a child. According to Liam, a parenting license reduces the harm of mass parenting and inappropriate child abuse (2020).
Renewal process.
To ensure that the standards and requirements are enforced, the responsible parenthood license should be renewed after the first year. The first renewal would ensure that the child is healthy and comfortable. Afterward, the parents should renew their licenses after five years when they wish to have another child. The five-year period will allow the first child to grow without many challenges. On renewing the license, the government would first check to ensure that the family can have another child. Since caring for two children can be so demanding, an evaluation of the family’s current life is necessary to ensure they meet the set requirements. The renewal process should also be accredited by the family doctor, counselor, social worker, and the child’s class advisor (Phua, 2020).
Implementation requirements and guidelines
Before implementing the responsible parenthood license, the government should collect public views and opinions regarding the parenting license. If the public agrees to the initiative, the government will allocate funds to advertise its plan across the country. The head of state should also hold a press conference to create public awareness. The existing parents and pregnant people should apply online to obtain the license. Those wishing to become parents would go for interviews, training, and surveys to prove that they meet the set requirements. The interview panels would consist of experts, including a family doctor, a counselor, and a social worker authorized by the state government. The surveys and interviews would take at most six months before approval. Parents would be required to give honest answers to the interviewers. After implementing the license, any child without a license would receive a fine. Since the license goal is to ensure equity and equality among children, necessary measures, including penalties, will be implemented for violating parents. After a year, experts and government officials should visit the parents and their child for monitoring and evaluation.
Ethical considerations
Raising a child or parenting has numerous implications, so it is essential to have some ethical considerations. A licensing system helps identify irresponsible and negligent parents causing long-term harm to their children. Parenting should be theoretical and practical as some conditions necessitate parents’ separation, leaving the child to a single parent. In such cases, expert opinions from counselors and psychologists should be considered to maintain a child’s growth to adulthood. The responsible parenthood license emphasizes the authoritative parenting style, which exposes children to shyness and anxiety disorders (Ashcraft et al., 2019). The parenting styles and their effects should therefore be monitored and evaluated by experts to help children develop high self-esteem and lower risks of depression.
Personal reflection
The parenting license is unreasonable and difficult to implement in our society. Society may need help to comply with the requirements with a feeling that their rights are violated. People have rights over their bodies, and the government should not regulate their lives. Everyone should feel free to have as many children as possible since giving birth is natural. Regulating a natural process is unconstitutional and inhuman, and unacceptable in society. Despite the main aim of the parenting license, which is ensuring equity in raising children, parents should not have to acquire the license before siring children.
References
Ashcraft, L. E., Asato, M., Houtrow, A. J., Kavalieratos, D., Miller, E., & Ray, K. N. (2019). Parent empowerment in pediatric healthcare settings: A systematic review of observational studies. The Patient-Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, 12(2), 199–212.
Phua, D. Y., Kee, M. Z., & Meaney, M. J. (2020). Positive maternal mental health, parenting, and child development. Biological Psychiatry, 87(4), 328–337.
Shields, L. (2020). Parental Licensing as Harm Reduction. Health Care Analysis, 28(4), 424–433.
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