Hutcheson’s child day

Daily News reporter Steven Tait writes about Councilor Steven Hutcheson’s desire for a national day of honor for children of American soldiers.

Please help to make February 20th a day that the country can remember and acknowledge both the large and small sacrifices that children endure while their parents serve our country, Hutcheson wrote in letters to Senator John Kerry, Congressman John Tierney, and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolton.

President Abraham Lincoln’s son, Willie, died of typhoid fever on February 20, 1862.

Hutcheson had listened to an audio book on President Lincoln and was moved by Willie’s 11-year life.

It’s a noble idea but short-sighted.

I have some questions for Councilor Hutcheson:

First, for the past eight years, Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have proclaimed an “National Child’s Day” to occur the first Monday in June. Here is a link to last year’s proclamation when Bush said we underscore our commitment to our children and pledge to provide them with the care, protection, and education they deserve. How is your proposed day of honor different than this?

Second, do you care whether this “national day of honor” is a new federal holiday declared by Congress, an observance proclaimed by the President, or a national day observed by some association (such as National Teacher Day by the NEA)?

Third, the idea of a national day to honor children of parents who serve the country is vague. How do you define serving the country? If Willie Lincoln is the inspiration, you are not singling out those whose parents are “warfighters” in your words, but also children of parents who are elected or appointed officials in the federal government, right? What about kids of people who never joined the military or worked for the federal government? What about a woman who seams American flags; is she serving the country?

I can go on. Your idea is noble, but solely based on what I read in the newspaper today, I feel it could use some fleshing out.

For instance, more power is in numbers so why not approach a group of national associations with your idea for a solid backing and a more streamlined campaign? Approach the likes of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Child Welfare League of America, and the Military Child Education Coalition, explain your proposal, ask the PIRGs to enlist college students to take to the streets to get signatures, and so forth.

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