Letter to the Editor: Help children grow and mature

To the Editor:

It takes nine months for a baby to fully develop. If at any time prior to this a baby leaves the womb, it is premature. That means the baby left the womb before it was fully developed and ready for the outside world. How ever many days, weeks or months premature will determine the degree of intervention that will be needed to keep the baby alive, if possible, until the baby is fully developed.

At first, a baby stays put. Where you lie the baby down is exactly where the baby will be when you come back. In due time, that will not be the case. At that time, the baby has acquired the ability to rollover and scoot around but the brain has not yet developed the concept of an “edge”. Therefore, for the baby’s protection, the baby is put in a playpen or a bed or sofa with things around it to prevent the baby from falling over the edge and getting hurt.

As the baby grows into childhood, the child will learn how to ride a bike. Again, for the child’s protection, we wait until they are older and the brain is more developed before we allow them to drive a car.

The human brain is not fully developed until the person is 25 years old. That is why companies print ages on their products. The brain needs to reach a certain age before it has matured enough to comprehend the decisions that need to be made in regards to their products.

It is in the best interests of the child to wait until their brain is mature before making decisions that are permanently life altering. When decisions are made prematurely, there will always need to be forms of intervention needed.

If a couple decides they do not want to wait nine months to see and hold their baby and they decide to prematurely deliver the baby, forms of intervention will be needed to keep the baby alive.

If we decide to allow children to drive cars, intervention will be needed because this decision is premature. Cars will need to be altered, roads will need to be altered, street corners will need to be altered, etc.

The best thing for all children is to have parents and grandparents actively involved in the child’s life. I understand that this is not always the case. However, let us do everything we can to keep them connected and growing together. Prayerfully, people within our communities and churches are reaching out to children and each other to help children grow and mature.

Each and every person is fearfully and wonderfully created in the image of a holy and righteous God. Let us love every child and help every child travel the bumpy road of childhood without making life-altering decisions prematurely.

Becky Huck
Waukon