Parent License

In the March 2 Platform, family counselor Thomas J. Gibbs Jr. writes that it is time to get tough with parents of violent youth. He recommends requiring parenting training in order to get a marriage license.

When statistics show that in some segments of our society 60% of babies are born to single mothers, stipulations on marriage licenses are not enough. What we need is a requirement that prospective parents prove financial and emotional stability before being permitted to bring a child into the world. As Gibbs rightly points out, one must have a license to drive or to build an addition on one’s house. It is time we started a public dialogue on requiring a license to parent.

ELEANOR HEYMAN

Hesperia