Judy's Last Stand Revisited

Because of popular demand, I am bringing this blog entry back. It's the original column I sent to the Courier. They would not print the part about my new adventure. They would not even put my email address in my usual shirttail which is an ordinary courtesy to writers. It will remain a question forever: what did they fear in being above board and honest? If they fired me, say it. If they hated my work, they should say it. If they no longer had a space for a column on kids, they should admit it, but don't make me out to be a quitter and then manipulate my words.

The parts removed by the paper have been bracketed.


I’m the most fortunate person who ever lived. I have children to die for, grandchildren in abundance, a husband who loves me, a best friend, my own school filled with children and teachers I graciously call my own. I practice my religion every day in everything I do, and in addition to all this, I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a public voice for nearly fifteen years.


I love you. You have filled my heart with more than I can ever repay.

[Although it is not my choice, this will be my last Evansville Courier and Press column. Whenever a closet is cleaned, things are thrown out. But too, one man’s discard is another’s treasure.

If you have enjoyed my column, my next one will appear in Childcare by Judy Lyden on the Internet on Tuesday, May 3 at http://childcarebyjudylyden.blogspot.com/

The blog will feature new longer and possible more frequent columns, an archive of past columns for immediate review, published childcare studies from major universities, new products and books available from key producers, answers to your questions, and links to resource and referral services and childcare rules.

For those who will be reading me for the last time, ]

I hope I have graced some lively discussions, provoked some good thoughts, some hope. I have said with all the repetition I can muster that you are your children’s white knights. Ride into battle every day, because without you, they have nothing.

Love your children. Know that children are not playthings; they are people whose issues are often swept under the carpet of neglect.


We need childcare no matter what is said about marriage and families. There are children who need a place to go during the day because families have failed them. The child is often the victims not the culprit.

As a reporter for the National Media Service, I am privy to the most current and in depth university studies on childcare. These studies demonstrate a real troubled view of childcare. Experts struggle with nearly every childhood issue nationwide, and because of poor early childhood education or none, many children are at risk. It’s a national disgrace and an issue with few public forums.

The truth is, children want to learn; yet these studies indicate we bide the child’s time in a desert of boredom. We waste the optimum learning time until the window of opportunity closes. We’d rather let the window snap shut on the inquisitive four year old than spend more than $5.10 an hour on what the state day care rules say is simply a nameless faceless employee.


So how do we explain our great disaster after all the money we have had to spend? We don’t.

Childcare is not expensive to provide no matter what government says. The childcare I built was built on a paycheck for two of my columns

[- $80.00. ]

With a little ingenuity and a little hard work and a whole lot of love, anyone can build a place where children want to play but it means the child must be heard first.


Over the years, I have written about what I see and hear. It is always the truth. I have written about you and me, your children and my children and I will continue to do so.


I have loved writing for you, and your gracious affections to me say a whole lot about our community and what we think of children. I thank you from the bottom of my heart

[and look forward to this new enterprise. ]


Talk about media bias. I got a plea to change the blog last night. I offered to say nothing about the paper, because I really don't want to start something new on the corrupt coat tails of something now past, but unfortunately, the adulterated column had already gone to print. So I made an offer that the original goes to the wire and a nice announcement appears in the Sunday Paper. Let's see what happens.

Next up is a really neat series on teaching music to kid's.