The Editor,

Re: "Business leaders want cheaper childcare," the Now, Feb. 12.

I appreciate the Surrey Board of Trade's concerns, but am wondering where the money for the subsidized daycare comes from. My taxes? I chose to stay home with my children and we live on my husband's income. I do not get any financial benefit from this.

My taxes are not reduced and any outside job I take that is more than $10,000 makes it so my husband cannot claim me as a dependent. We cannot income split to reduce taxes and I get no additional subsidy from the government for choosing to raise my own children.

MLA Stephanie Cadieux is the Minister of Children and Family Development and is supporting children being away from their family and being raised by strangers - odd.

These strangers are very nice, educated and run well-developed programs for children. However, having four children myself and operating a daycare for several years, I can tell you that children do better with their own parents.

Many children loved coming to my house. It was fun, different and safe. At the end of the day, or several times throughout the day, they wanted their parents.

We would distract, make crafts, play, read, go for walks, but those children wanted their own mom and dad. They were thrilled at the end of the day to show their parents what they did and what they learned. Many kids walked for the first time, lost their first tooth, learned how to ride a tricycle at my house - not with mom and dad.

Your article also touches on the "decreased stress and increased productivity for career-minded parents and also to reduce the impact that looking after a child has on their work." Really? Looking after your own child is the most important job you can do in this world. At the end of the day, the important things will be those children you brought into the world and what they are giving back to it.

Raising children is the toughest job any adult can do. It involves a CEO mindset, with a well-rounded background in nursing, psychology, botany, arts, math, science, English, compassion, honesty, integrity, cooking and home management. The most important one is selflessness, which is something severely lacking in your article.

Making childcare affordable is fantastic, but be realistic and be fair.

Ten dollars a day for childcare is unrealistic and asking me to put my taxes toward the balance is unfair.

I don't expect to have my childcare paid for by someone else. Please don't make me pay for theirs.

Erin Singer, Surrey