NJ needs more stay-at-home parents (Opinion)

A new study by Rutgers University indicates that New Jersey needs more daycare workers due to a population boom. That is what you would expect from something called the Rutgers New Jersey State Policy Lab. How Orwellian of a name or organization can you get?

What New Jersey and the rest of the country needs is more stay-at-home parents. More specifically, stay-at-home MOMS. Yes, I said it. Call me a sexist if you want. I believe in the difference between the two sexes and moms are just more nurturing and better equipped to be at home with the kids at least for their early years. There are a few problems with achieving the most natural of situations.

Women are graduating college at a higher rate than men and we wouldn't want them wasting that education and all of the time and money it took to earn their degrees, JUST TO STAY HOME WITH KIDS! Even though there is no more important job in the world than raising good well-balanced children.

The other challenge is that it is so hard to raise a family on one salary.

There are a couple of ways to get around that. One is the gig economy. People today can choose to work in so many different ways and with a variety of options for work times.

The other way is for the federal and state governments to help out. One way would be to waive the income tax for a spouse for a couple with children under the age of say 6 or 10 or 12. This way one parent could be there for the kids when they most need a parent in the house.

It's a temporary waiver and would go a long way to ensuring a less chaotic and more cohesive society and family structure. But we shouldn't expect our government to think beyond punitively squeezing all the money they can out of a public that has their money taken from them before they even see it every two weeks.

Also, the public is brainwashed into thinking the only option they have is to find someplace to stick the kid as soon as they can get back to work. It's sad and frustrating for young couples looking to raise children in this increasingly complex and crazy world.

We have to start thinking for ourselves and demanding accountability and real action from our government and not just some stupid studies from government-funded think tanks.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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