Is it fair to children to spend most of their young childhood in a childcare setting?

By fair I'm going to interpret you mean as good for the child. I don't see harm in putting a child in daycare while you work as long as when you are not at work you are making a significant effort to spend quality time with your child and those work hours aren't excessive. Naturally i'd assume it's common sense to be sure the faculty is well rounded and doing more than just making sure the kid doesn't kill itself.

I also don't see staying at home to raise a child as unfair. There are a variety of programs available to aid in financing extracurricular activities. Also a parent that stays home can work from home.

I do. That said I would say the best option as far as childcare for children is what's best for the family. If financially you cannot afford to stay home you shouldn't feel as if you are treating your child unfairly, however if you can afford to stay home and you'll just have a but less spare cash I think that's fine too.

Overall I lean towards at least one parent being the primary care giver of a child though as you had the child do you really want someone else raising it?

I think several factors should be considered. The nature of the child, some children will not cope in a large daycare setting so there fore perhaps having them placed in a smaller more intimate environment would be ideal, while other children excell in a larger daycare setting. It is also about balance, parents need to remember that they are still the parents, and as such should still ensure that they spend quality time with the children.

This can be as simple as sitting down to eat a meal at a table at night time, reading them a story before going to bed, spending time talking about the childs day, being involved in what happens with their kids while they are in daycare. There are so many positives for children to attend a good Daycare setting/home, and in todays economic climate it is becoming more of a necessity than a luxury, but what is forgotten is we need to stop rushing around when we get home, and find that special time for our children each and every single night.

Personally, I believe children are best off staying home with their mother until they reach school age. I'm also in favor of home schooling if the parents can commit to it and have the skills to do so. Unfortunately, not enough families are willing to make financial sacrifices in the best interests of their children, and to be fair, it often takes two incomes just to get by.

Children were raised for thousands of years without "extracurricular" activities. Instead, they learned about life through unstructured play time and helping take care of the needs of the family with responsibilities appropriate to their ages. I've seen some pretty ugly parental behavior at kid's ball games.

What sort of example does that set? Kids were better off when they were left to their own devices, meeting at the local sandlot to play ball and working things out for themselves. True motherhood is a gift (not every woman has the gift) and nurturing your children in the way they should go is a vital part of parenthood.

When you raise your own children, you can instill your own values in them while they are young and impressionable, instead of leaving it to the whims of the sitter or daycare. Children need QUANTITY time with their parents, not just quality time. All that being said, I was raised by a working mother and turned out all right, and I worked while I raised my own son and stepkids.

But I can see how things might have turned out differently otherwise if I had chosen to be a stay-at-home parent.

I don't think it's fair for children to be there 24/7 but there is nothing wrong with childcare during work and the occassional afternoon/evening out...but a child needs to spend time with their parents, be raised and taught ways of life. I don't think ones income necessarily effects a child being able to play after school activities, most schools have assistance options for those who can't afford them.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.