Ethical?

  I haven't been around any small children in quite some time and have no experience with daycare centers or early learning, whatever they are calling all that these days. I'm aware that the majority of our small children are being sent to those facilities as the moms have to work or choose to pursue a career. I have reservations about how good a thing that is but I suppose there is little alternative in todays world. The days of a single "breadwinner" in a family are behind us now. I suspect we will never see those days again. In some circles the narrative is that it is better to have a professional raise children, that it is far superior to mom at home, state sponsored and state controlled curriculum will yield the best results. Given the track record of the Department of Education I have very serious doubts about that. But that is a discussion for another day.

  I was inspired to write this blog when I heard a news story about a daycare center. There was this lady that had discovered the daycare center was giving her child melatonin gummies without her knowledge or permission. I admit I had no idea what that was. It was explained that this hormone created a reaction in the brain mimicking a reaction to darkness, in other words making you sleepy. So, a synthetically manufactured hormone was being given to this child to make him sleep. I was surprised to learn that this is sold over the counter and there is no control over it use. It's just fine for children and adults. They can call it a hormone all they want but it is a drug in my mind. Anything you take to alter your mental state is a drug! Is that really a wise thing? 

  It was reported that this wasn't illegal. She had filed a lawsuit which was rejected at first, but is now being heard. The day care center maintaining they have done nothing wrong at all, in fact, their record is stellar. I question then, why are you giving those children melatonin gummies? They only serve one purpose, to make the children sleepy. Isn't your job watching those children, ensuring their well being? Does that include administering drugs to them so you get a rest? That just seems so wrong on so many levels to me. I even question the availability of these drugs over the counter to the parents. Are we really going to say, go ahead, give them some hormones to make them sleep. Are we really saying that is just fine? Well, given the stories I hear about all the other drugs being prescribed to children I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Better living through chemistry. Better for who?  

 I did a little reading about this following that news cast. Apparently, it is quite the normal thing and adults use them as well. I saw where they are readily available just about everywhere and in a variety of strengths. There are a few side effects but nothing to worry about. Serious side effects only happen in less than 1 in a thousand people. They might faint or pass out, have uncontrollable bleeding or get blurred vision, but hey, it's worth the risk to get a good nights sleep or a break during the day from watching those kids, just put them to sleep. No problem with any of that. 

 I'm not one to advocate for all natural products, holistic medicines and cures, or any of that mindset. We have certainly developed a great number of medicines that benefit mankind. Even though I have never received a vaccine for covid or the seasonal flu I'm not an anti-vaxer, you do you. I do believe that giving drugs of any kind simply for convenience is wrong! Giving gummies to small children to make them sleep, when it is your job to care for them, is for your convenience! That goes for mom as well. We've all heard about parents giving their kids a shot of liquor to make them sleep and we all condemn that, why should this be any different. I question whether we should be messing around with hormones in the first place. Granted they are necessary for the proper functioning of the body and sometimes medical intervention is required but should we intervene for the sake of convenience? Should we intervene in those processes to satisfy our desire? I don't think so.