Churches and other organizations seem have a hard time these days finding volunteers to take care of children in their midst. There’s a good reason for this. Most of them don’t offer hazardous duty pay for such service. And none of them offer real life insurance – insurance to protect against the ruination of one’s life.
When people volunteer for childcare duty, they are putting themselves at a high degree of risk. One inattentive or lackadaisical moment, one minor overreaction, one false accusation, and bang! – your life is ruined forever. A lifetime of achievements down the drain. And for nothing more than some trivial mistake made while taking care of some child who hasn't accomplished anything. Sorry, but it’s just not worth it. Obviously, I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not implying that there's some of kind grand scheme by society to ensnare adults who care for children. I know the intentions are good. We all want to make sure that children are protected from harm. But like they say, the road to you-know-where is paved with good intentions. Our zeal to protect children leads many of us, especially those who craft our laws, to often leave common sense behind. And whenever common sense becomes a casualty, we are all the losers.
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