After the last thank yous, the meeting ended, the room clearing, you can find the most open people remaining. While a few of us were left watching the room deflate we were approached by Julie Barker.
Elderly,wearing her overcoat and carrying a bundle of papers she approached us meekly and with a gentle voice mentioned her concerns about Green Party policy regarding child care. Finding open ears and an interesting audience in two of us the story unfolded......
Julie and husband Dr. E.T. Barker M.D., Dr. Psych.FRCP(C) promote Empathic Parenting, something that needs to be endorsed by the GPC. It stresses that the first three years of brain development in a child are much more critical than we ever thought. In these years direct parenting trumps day-care of any quality by far. We need to not focus on universal access to day-care, handy as that might be to 20% of mothers today, but rather we should encourage the nurturing of 100% of our children through empathic parenting. More on this can be found at www.empathicparenting.org.
Julie's policy resolution was defeated in the convention but not for any reason that had to do with her intent. She hasn't given up, and continues with her message. Resolutions were defeated for all kinds of reasons during the rushed and intense meeting and that does not stop those who believe in their cause. Julie Barker jwb@bellnet.ca
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