The Press
June 10 1974.
Day care centres' "impossible task"
Day-care centres and
crèches, while being beneficial to working mothers, could have detrimental
effects on children.
Studies overseas, where such institutions have been in operation longer than
they have here, show that this is the case, but the seriousness of the problem
may not be apparent here until these children become adult citizens, says Dr
Karen Zelas, a child psychiatrist.
Publicity surrounding the beneficial aspects of young mothers going out to work, coupled with
feminist deprecation of the mothering role, has swayed women into thinking they
are making an economic contribution to society by going out to work.
This could not be further from the truth, says Dr Zelas.
“The greatest contribution a mother can make is to bring up her children to be
happy, satisfied adults.”
“To secure the basic stability of the mental health of the community is the
greatest investment that can be made,” she said.
“The professional bodies should be helping mothers and their babies together,
not separating them. It should also be
their responsibility to ensure that it is possible to women to have time off
from jobs to have their families and then go back for re-training courses when
the children have grown up.”
“I don’t want to cast aspersions on the people running day care centres but
they are undertaking to do something impossible.”
No substitute
The first three years of a child’s life are most vital
to its development and understanding of the world around it, Dr Zelas
says. This is the time when a child
needs a constant mothering person, and a substitute temporary mother, no matter
how good she is, can not give the child the same warmth and understanding.
“The continuity of the relationship at this stage is very important. Without it children could grow up unable to
have a deep relationship with anybody because of the fear of being deserted or
hurt.”
“The child’s feeling about the mother is complicated, he can’t appreciate that
although the mother is away from him she is still available.”
“If the child can’t develop a secure feeling early it makes it difficult from
him to be independent in later life and to cope with what is required of him by
society.”
A popular belief today is that the child who has been away from the mother for
regular and extended periods becomes more socially aware and very self
confident.
“The child does become superficially very able and socially precocious but this
is in fact, because it is unable to form any deep relationship and make friends
with anyone.”
Studies overseas have not yet revealed specific symptoms in children left in
day care centres but they do show that the children get less stimulation, and
that emotional and physical development is slower.
Dr Zelas feels that Women’s Lib, instead of under-rating the mothering role,
should be building it up as a satisfying, productive occupation.
“Women would get much more satisfaction from the job if they realised how important it is and what a valuable
contribution it is to society.”
“If a mother becomes frustrated and dissatisfied, which is only natural, she
needs help to provide what the child requires, not to go out and leave the
child to someone else.”
Dr Zelas believes this help can come from a good husband as well as from
professional bodies.