Editor:
Hooray for Sarah Garrecht's insightful article "Takes a Village to Raise a Child" (Sept. 28).
I am a single woman who's tired of the same far-fetched sitcoms featuring the lovable yet confused single father facing the struggles of the world with tired humor. I'm a fan of "Grace Under Fire" and find "South Central" to be another show that (somewhat) realistically portrays the struggle of the single mother.
I do not have any children, but if I decide to have one, there are several things I'm confident of. First, my child would be raised in a household filled with love. It doesn't matter who that love comes from, if you are raised with plenty of it, you learn to become a loving, caring person.
Second, whether my child is female or male, it would have plenty of role-models, both male and female. I don't think a boy needs one, single male role-model, but many, so he can pick and choose the characteristics he would like to emulate. Likewise, he also needs many female role-models for the same reason.
Third, while I would like to believe that I would be able to send my child into this world to be taught responsibility from schools, friends, churches and the community, I would NEVER count on it. My child would learn responsibility at home and bring that into the world with her/him.
I agree with Ms. Garrecht that it's a scary idea to agree with Dan Quayle, but don't feel bad, Sarah! It's just more political rhetoric that he probably doesn't even believe. Politicians jump on whichever bandwagon is passing by and going in the direction of Washington D.C. Ä even the ones who have an ice cube's chance in hell of actually getting there!
Madeline Denes
Arizona Poision & Drug Information Center