This town hasn’t been silent about the struggles young families face with childcare. We’ve had luncheons, meetings and numerous surveys, all asking for input on potential improvements and the realities of the situation.
Recently, at a library meet-and-greet, an older woman approached me and launched into a series of assumptions and accusations: “Why haven’t you quit your job to open a childcare facility?
Why didn’t you save up before having a child so you could quit work and raise your child? Why are you and other families having children without pre-secured childcare, burdening our community?”
These were topics this stranger, completely out of the blue, felt entitled to ask and comment on to me.
Choosing to have a child isn’t something I or anyone else I know has taken lightly. With all that’s happening in the world and in our local community, I urge Haines to be kind to new parents and not accuse them of being a burden.
We are simply doing our best in an increasingly complex and difficult situation.
Someone trying her best,
Jen Opie