The Arizona Daily Star – Renée Schafer Horton
Since my grandson was born nearly four years ago, I’ve been part of the Village Raising Austin. In his first years, I was with him once a week, and now the 10-hour babysitting shifts are twice monthly. I volunteered for this partly because I’m a former education reporter and parenting columnist who understands the research on full-time day care before age five. I also did it because I wanted Austin to be completely contented with me during those 10 hours. The only way to get that glue-like bond with a small child is by putting in the time. It’s sort of like prison, but with more finger-painting.