Did you know that parenting skills are needed by "those" who come in contact with children, "regardless" of whether they are parents or not? Let's use a different approach, did you know that an unlicensed person operating an automobile, are required to have the driving skills needed to legally drive, "regardless" of whether or not he/she own the vehicle? The point is..., each scenario has the same pending situation, if either individual involved in either act choose to participate, that person is making contact with a kid or a car, without full knowledge of how either are supose to function. All interested drivers are required to practice and study before being qualified to drive, shouldn't children recieve qualified parents and caregivers prior to being placed into their care?

Children need educated parents, family members, and teachers etc., in their lives "before" they are born, and long after they are here. Just as a driver will need knowledge and driving skills along with a valid drivers license, even before receiving the priveledge of getting onto the roadways.

Siblings, babysitters, and the list goes on, will include a varitety of different individuals, and they will all get a chance to practice their parenting skills on each available child that comes their way. Or should that statement have read, "there are many types of individuals who will have an opportunity to practice parenting skills, while spending time with children as they grow and develop. Inspite of the way the statement has been worded, there's no difference between either. The first statement shows a lack of knowledge, and when read, it sounds like an unsafe situation for any child, and the second statement expresses an experience, and when read, it sounds quite pleasent and safe for all involved. Irregardless of whether a person is practicing or spending time with any child, being "clueless" or "uneducated" as to how to ensure the child's safety or meet the child's needs-after the fact, doesn"t help the child much. Again, in either scenario both situations will need knowledge and experience present at the same time, so that any individual who is practicing on their parenting skills will be effective.

The study of child development is a good way to find out about children, even if a person does not decide to be a parent or work with children as a career. Studying child development is not enough, one will need to apply knowledge gained to real life situations. "Experience" will help increase your knolwedge of children, because everything you'll need to learn about children can't come from books. The more a person understands a child the more they'll enjoy being with them. Most importantly, safety comes first, and that children need to be taught ways to stay safe, as well as their safety is dependent on those who are left to care for them. It is imperative that an individual gather knowledge and insight involving the care of a child(ren) prior to having a child experiece.