The Stay at Home Mother

I recently wrote an article for Black Press on a very disturbing trend that is happening in BC. More and more children are working out in the workforce - because BC is one of  the five provinces that allow children between the ages of 12 -14 to work (with parental consent).

I noticed it a few weeks ago when I was in the grocery store - a boy walked by me and wasn't more than 12 or 13 years of age and he was an employee there. And then I saw another child there, and then another....

Did you know that more than 13,000 children were injured on the job in 2003 - (according to the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Report?) And that a direct correlation has been found between children under the age of 17 who are working, and children who drop out of high school?

Children are children for such a short amount of time and the fact that employers are exploiting the Child Labour Laws, so that they can fill positions and save money is well, just plain horrible.

Some parents may think that they are teaching their children valuable lessons in life by letting them work real jobs out in the workforce, but I don't agree. I think that a twelve year old should be playing - shoud be having fun..not worrying about their next shift at the grocery store.

The BC Employment Standards Act needs to be changed. And if parents really want their child to learn some valuable lessons about the real world - let them volunteer in the community, get them involved in a paper route, or even a babysitting job.

But for goodness sakes, let them be children. They have the rest of their lives to work like the rest of us....don't rush them before their time.

To view my article in its entirety - click on the Archives tab.