Post #5 Question #1

The essay "Love and Gold" hit a raw nerve on its issue of child care and children
left behind.

I feel that the mothers who left their children behind in their native countries
and came to the USA to work sacrificed their emotional well being to better the economic lives of their own chidren. Starving children and starving mothers are
of no economic value to themselves and make money for videos on shows like 'Feed the Children".

As a single parent of three children I was fortunate to have a career that paid
well. In turn I was able to pay my three car givers a fair wages...$10 per hour
per child which was and is above the minimun wage. When I was paid my sitters were
paid that same day in cash. I had one sitter a legal immigrant from Sicily, the others were second generation Sicilian and Puerto Rican. All were lovely mature ladies who were good mothers to their own children.

I could not afford live in help and I drove or arranged for pick-up for three children to various schools and sitters each day. (My daughter is now 28, #1 son 22, and #2 son 15.) There was only one year when the three of them were in one school and that was the year I rejoiced every morning and gladly paid tuition.

Perhaps the Philippines or even the United Nations on a global basis could figure out a way to make parents more financially responsible for their own children. Even in our own county we have lists of dead-beat parents who have to be chased for child support payments.