I am writing with regard to the article "Negligent parenting: When housemaids told to take children to hospital" (June 19). It is most likely that parents who do not have time to accompany a sick child to the hospital do not have any knowledge about his allergies and other health problems. However, the more important thing is that these parents are neglecting moral values. This affects the child's personality and behavior for life. A housemaid should be used as an assistant, but not as a full-time replacement for a mother. Ayman, Online response
I do not blame working parents, however I do believe that since they brought these children to life, parents should be responsible for them. And honestly, this is not just happening in Saudi Arabia, but in the entire GCC. It is very upsetting to see that without housemaids, some households seem to collapse for one reason or another. Our ancestors including our grandmothers managed well on their own. Why is it harder these days with so much improvement in our living standards? Fatema, Online response You are creating a generation of children who are growing up being more cared for and loved by a stranger in the family than by their own mother. These children, at least a lot of them, will see their caregivers as a mother figure rather than their own mother. Worst of all these children see how badly these caregivers are treated. They will grow up thinking that this is normal. In the future they will treat their children and future wives the same way. Allan, Online response You cannot send women out to work unless men are willing to take part of the responsibility for the home and family. I hear a lot from female coworkers that they not only have to take care of their four children, but that they also have to work in order to help support the family financially. Husbands must help at home and then housemaids won't play such an important role in the lives of children. Mike, Online response
