Politics: Universal Child Care - Essay Example

Politics: Universal Child Care Both John Locke and Burke give elaborate discussions about universal childcare. Locke argues that when a newborn baby comes into existence, it has a mind that is empty and void like a blank slate. He further illustrates that the empty slate gradually picks various useful objects from the environment that fills it. However, the newborns are not fully empty minded. They have some likes and dislikes as well as their personalities. Locke, therefore, emphasizes that the role of education in the lives of children is to mould their natural tendencies, as well as their minds. As a result, children acquire understanding for which they readily pay a universal submission. Men pay such ready universal submissions on either both well or ill informed ideas. Locke, therefore, suggests and emphasizes the importance of early childhood education towards greatly shaping up their progress and development. Locke is categorical that teaching is an initial responsibility of the child’s parents from cradle long before bookwork begins. The reason for this is because such little or seemingly insensible impressions have lots of significance and lasting consequences on child behavior (Locke 133). He adds that the tempers, particular defaults, and different inclinations found in children are so diverse that they may require various remedies and combined efforts of various people to provide a remedy. Locke does not stop at collective responsibility in educating and caring for children, he gives an encouragement to parents to ensure that they watch their children closely. Consequently, through observation, parents get an opportunity to understand their children in distinctive inclinations. In another instant, John Locke advices parents to device their education methods paying particular attention to their children during perfect freedom and master the manner in which children spend the time available to them. As a result, such information would enable a parent to understand the best ways of motivating their children to conduct themselves in the right manner. However, John Lock is keen to warn parents that due to varied tempers, some children are likely to fall off the right path of reason compared to other children. He, therefore, questions against failure to guide their children properly. Children not properly guided become cruel or irrational, a situation he compares to water turning this way and that way. He argues that the mind of a child is like water that can easily move from one directions to another and change from one shape to another depending on the surrounding. In other words, children require universal guidance and care (Locke 127). In addition, he acknowledges that children also share certain natural tendencies as well. Locke and Burke assert that children share desire for liberty, curiosity, and pride. Some of them want a lot of dominion. The two, for that reason advises that parents who care for the children should treat their children as rational beings. Consequently, such parents can easily give their children guidance towards acting well rather than exposing them to instances of injustice (Burke 14). He continues to outline that education of children dictate who they are since nine out of ten of their parts are exactly what they are, whether evil or good. Among children, parents and caregivers must understand the importance of liberty among children. Liberty does not only mean that there is a complete absence of restraint, but it leads children to own a freed mind with a sense of independent action. Children demonstrate that the actions they do come from within themselves in a free state of mind. When parents offer liberty to children, children feel so much satisfied in their field as children. In the same manner, Locke and Burke also deduce that children have strong desire for play-games because the games excite their imaginations or amusement desire. The Norwegian women therefore, during care giving to their children, ensure that they offer their children more playing and liberty space to avoid tampering with their imaginations and independence. Locke involves parents’ role as those in charge of procreation and education children. He defines Paternal Power as the ability of parents to be in a position to take care of their offsprings particularly during the time children are in their imperfect stage of their childhood. In addition, parents also have the role of informing their children minds and governing their actions because they are still ignorant Nonages. Locke emphasizes that children must always observe their parents as their lords. However, John Locke makes it clear that parents must limit their control for children as the children become of age and reason. Consequently, the parental power and nurturing effect reduces to make a child reach liberty stage in adulthood (Locke 111). Finally, Locke highlights the need for training children by parents to submit their dominion love to reason. He states categorically that if any child fails to submit his will to reason at childhood would always scarce hearken or attempt to submit to his reason after he or she has become of age and use it. Edmund Burke also gives his account on the universal day care in his article Reflection on the French Revolution. He articulates that any civil society has its foundation inwardly based on religion. Children, therefore, need to receive comfort and good things from their parental religious background. He also emphasizes that a man is an animal by his constitution. He, however, disowns atheism and considers it against human reason and instincts. Edmund Burke further maintains that atheism cannot find room to prevail among children for long. He discusses the mothers who plan to quit their jobs to take care of their children at home while others want to reduce their working time to spend most of their time with their children at home. However, Burke maintains that a good number of women have shown interest in remaining at work if the government can make available a good and affordable childcare particularly in Norway (Burke 17). The government has therefore considered a measure in which it will incorporate and integrate a full-day childcare into the school system. All children under age four would receive the service from as early as seven oclock in the morning until the school day ends. However, gender issues will emerge out of the process since the government treats it as women who take care of their children at home’s affair. They will, therefore, have to incur the child daycare costs. Burke further questions why the government cannot take responsibility to support the proposal rather than put it as a punishment to women who would want to stay home when looking after their children. Works Cited Burke, Edmund. Reflections on the French Revolution. The Harvard Classics. New York: Harvard, 1729-1797. Accessed on april 16, 2015 from www.bartleby.com/24/3/1.html Locke, John. Locke: Two Treatises of Government. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988. Print. Read More