Madam, - I find myself in an unusual position. I am a feminist who wholeheartedly endorses everything John Waters said in last Monday's column, "Looking after our children". The debate has been hijacked by vested interests and there appears to be no politician, male or female, who is willing to speak honestly as Mr Waters does - no one to speak for the most vulnerable, the children.
If children could vote, I would put myself forward as a candidate in the next general election on a platform of "No creches please, we demand the right to parents".
I reckon I would be elected with an overwhelming majority. - Yours, etc,
EVELYN ALEXANDER, Rostrevor Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6.
A chara, - The tenet of John Water's column "Looking after our children" is that families will be destroyed if working parents place their children in daycare. It ill behoves a responsible journalist to hurt and frighten parents, who already have enough concerns, by making such ridiculous suggestions.
My family consists of me, my husband and our two teenagers. We live together reasonably harmoniously and with much joy. We certainly haven't been destroyed. Both of the teenagers spent considerable periods in childcare when they were infants as my husband and I worked full-time. They are not now juvenile delinquents, nor are they suffering from depression. They enjoyed daycare and derived great stimulation from it.
I subsequently worked part-time thanks to the flexible working conditions offered by my employer and I am acutely aware that many parents do not have this option available to them. I feel we have all benefited tremendously in many ways from the childcare and working arrangements which we have had.
I will be forever grateful to the daycare management and staff for the love and care they gave to my children while I worked to contribute to our household expenses. - Is mise,
BERNADETTE WYNNE, Tivoli Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.
Madam, - I would like to congratulate Frank Farrell on his brilliant letter in last Saturday's edition. - Yours, etc,
MARY FAHY, Spiddal, Co Galway.