[blparent] Parenting classes

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Angie,

I also agree with you . I'm coming at this from the perspective that
disability would not play a role in a way that made it difficult to
pass, which is of course a utopian ideal at this point. And I'm not
speaking of classes that require "passing," but just informational
classes. I don't believe the government should play big brother and be
involved in every aspect of our life, and long before Obama took office,
our country was beginning to look more socialist than democratic, but I
digress; what I'm suggesting are classes offering information and
providing tools and techniques helpful to parents, but it would not be
based on a pass/fail scenario though. And this is not something I'm
campaigning for. I simply made a comment based on a personal opinion;
I'm not actively doing anything to initiate such classes, nor am I on
board with any entity campaigning for it. It was an opinion, nothing
more. And all ideas have flaws, something else to keep in mind.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
 
"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 14
Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:38:05 -0500
From: Angie Matney <angie.matney at gmail.com>
To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blparent] Parenting classes
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Hi Bridgit,

While I agree that such information would be beneficial to all new
parents, I have to agree with Jo Elizabeth: If all new parents were
required to take (and, presumably, pass) parenting classes, people
with disabilities would suffer. We read on this list all the time
about the additional hurdles would-be adoptive parents face if they
happen to be disabled.

Because the state is choosing whether or not to place a child with
potentially adoptive parents, it has the right to require that they
take certain classes. The government is not involved in a couple's
decision to biologically have a child. If the government required
parenting classes, the issue of reproductive rights would come into
play. (And I think that enforcing such a requirement would be
logistically problematic, to say the least.)

My above comments have nothing to do with whether or not it would be a
good idea for all parents to be exposed to the infromation adoptive
parents receive in parenting classes; in fact, I think there would be
lots of advantages for all parents in access to such information. I
guess I like your idea in theory but can't advocate for it in
practice.

Best,

Angie