The long haul

Somebody needs to let the word out.  Raising kids isn't easy.  Not if you are doing it right.

Sure, anyone can have kids and "bring them up," but bringing up happy, well-adjusted adults is an art -- not a given.

It can happen in the worst of circumstances and be absent in the best, but like anything else, the odds improve immensely when done right.

You can't just "be nice."   You have to have to be "there" and paying attention.

It is a job often relegated to babysitters or "affordable" daycare while the family finances are put in the hands of the finest people money can find.  And while a fifteen year old girl, or sixty year old granny might keep your child fed and alive, she may not have the skills, tenacity, or desire, to mold it into the best it can be.  The same is true for a business who puts a number of children under the supervision of an overworked, disgruntled employee.

Ideally children grow up with a constant caregiver who realizes that all people have different needs and dealing with those needs requires loving encouragement, focused attention and firm redirection.  It is a time consuming "real" job and it takes a lot of love (and time) to do it right.