Farm children

Press, 9 February 1989, Page 18

Farm children

Sir,—We often speak and write about the effects of the economic downturn on our farming families. We are writing in support of the children in these families, who are very often the silent and forgotten victims of these unfortunate circumstances. With the ever-increasing return to the work force by many farming wives (ourselves included), we wonder and worry about how many of our young children are' spending time on their own, unsupervised, while mum is at work and dad is attending to essential farm chores. We fear that it will take a tragedy to happen to such a child before more people will understand the plight of these youngsters, with often too much responsibility thrust upon them way beyond their years. Our credibility as parents, questioned enough now, would be shattered, even though we are doing our very best to keep their heritage and family home from becoming another statistic of a situation which has been largely beyond our control. We say a big thank you to these children and, who knows, maybe one day, mum will be there again when you get home from school. — Yours, etc., ALISON SHEARER, JOAN LAWN, VIVIENNE MARSHALL. February 2, 1989.