Madam, - Louise O'Reilly (May 11th) chides me, saying "that the job and the joy of looking after children be shared by both parents" (my italics).
May I remind Ms O'Reilly that Archbishop Sean Brady agrees with her sentiments when he noted that "not only are marriage and family grounded in the will of God and revealed by the order of nature, they are also the primary source of stability, life and love in any society" (The Irish Times, May 4th)?
But has Ms O'Reilly ever heard of fathers leaving their wives and children? I can assure her that as a teacher and a mother for over 20 years I have come across more fathers leaving mothers and children than vice versa.
Hence your columnist Breda O'Brien's realistic remark (Opinion, May 4th) that "many mothers must have more options or choice around whether they want to take up paid employment".
Therefore, as an educator and not as a feminist, I reiterate my request of May 10th to the Department of Education and Science for first-class State-run pre-schools and a compulsory starting age of five years so that "mothers should not have to rely on privately run pre-schools - often an expensive option".
This is not a feminist issue, but rather a child-centred one. - Yours, etc.,
BRENDA MORGAN, Asgard Park, Howth, Co Dublin.