Why Would Mandatory Parenting Classes in Schools Be a Good Idea?

Mandatory parenting classes would educate future mothers and fathers in basic childcare. These skills are needed because not all parents have good role models or training. Lack of knowledge in this life skill often leads to parental neglect and problems for the child as he grows up.

  1. Statistical Support

    • According to Jane Dye, fertility specialist for the U.S. Census Bureau, 80 percent of American women will have at least one child by age 44. The remaining 20 percent still may care for relatives' or friends' children. The 2006 American Community Survey of 10,269 women reported that 4.5 percent of the girls ages 15 to 19 already had at least one child.

    Benefits

    • Male high school students are generally unlikely to choose parenting classes. Mandatory classes would assure that future dads have some exposure to childcare. Freshman girls taking Terra Vaughn's Child Development Class at West Salem (Oregon) High School start out thinking babies are "fun and cute." Work at the daycare and care of a computerized baby for a weekend spur comments such as, "I didn't realize babies were so much work."

    Effects of Lack of Training

    • Graeme Paton, education editor for Telegraph.co.uk speaks of "parental ineptitude" and states that "teachers are obliged to teach parenting classes because children starting school are unable to talk properly or use the toilet." Removal of children from their parents by Child Protective Services often stems from a lack of knowledge. Alice Krueger, a former California CPS social worker states, "The state then pays for parenting classes. Lack of basic childcare skills and positive role models often brought succeeding generations under CPS protection."

    Comparison with Other Mandatory Classes

    • Compare the importance of other mandatory classes with parenting classes such as history, English, reading, math and physical education. Instruction in these classes may help prepare a person for a job. Raising a child is a difficult job, especially with no training.

    Effects to Children

    • Anna Matsunaga, a certified childbirth educator, believes that "if a parent can't determine what a baby needs, their children do not receive proper care. Parents from ages 16 to 42 in my childbirth classes often lacked basic skills, which could have been taught earlier in schools." Observing results of parental neglect, Krueger stated, "Parental neglect may result in higher school-dropout rates, delinquency and earlier sexual activity."

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