Mother and Fathers Mental Stability

I would guess the mental health of mothers, fathers and families would be the most prevalent on my mind in recent days.  As I oversee the c are of 302 children, I have gotten a lot of experience getting to know families and their abilities to cope with child rearing issues and concerns.  The majority of the families that my facility serves are enlisted service men and women.  When looking at the population of enlisted families most come from challenging backgrounds, and usually join the military to expand and diversify more than likely limited resources and life opportunities. Having said that, it has been in my experience that the military community has high populations of births to young newlywed parents. This population of parents is faced with tremendous stressor that can result in an emotional unstable environment for children.  For instances,  a young 18 yr old girl marries the hometown hero and just as they are stationed at their first duty station on the other side of the country, or perhaps the world, they find out they are expecting.  Not only are they expecting but the service member has just received orders to a war zone.  The young girl has to endure the pregnancy and birth with little to no support system. Her husband returns home with injuries, and emotional instability that does not allow him to readjust to a “routine” way of life.  The struggles of the physical and emotional toll the war has placed on this family now the burden of a postpartum mother with a new baby and very little money, and a husband who cannot reconnect. 

I know it sounds like an episode of Army Wives, but this is daily life for us aboard Camp Lejeune.  We deal with parents and family member who do not have the emotional and psychological stability to raise children.  It amazes me in a world of regulation and rules and licensure that there is no perquisite to have children.  You have to have a license to run a business, to get married, to drive a car, to teach, but to have a child or raise a baby…. Just sign here and show me that you have a functioning car seat and Congratulations you are a PARENT!!!!!

China has a one birth regulation that limits the population growth. This subsequently leads to gender abortions and adoptions.  The culture of China celebrates the birth of a male child. If parents are expected to have a male to carry the family name then often time if a female child is delivered then it is placed for adoption, or parents find out early in the pregnancy to determine the sex of the baby and abort if necessary. 

I am not saying that government should have this much authority to regulate child births in the United States.  I do believe it is our human right to reproduce.  I would just like for the government to educate the parents prior to deciding to have a child and what a stress, emotional, demanding, life altering responsibility it is.  I think education vice regulation is the key.  Helping couples decide if they are emotional, and psychologically prepared to raise a child.