[FLOutdoorsman]

Yes, but I don't know too many Conservatives that would have their adult daughter with a 3 to 4 year old level working. I honestly didn't know that was legal even more so ethical.

Would you want a 4 year old kid working in a workshop?

[goldstategop]

No. But its a dilemma parents face since they are mortal. Who will look after our child when we're gone?

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus

[mountn man]

The authors daughter is 37 years old. But she has the faculties of a 3-4 year old. A 3-4 year old sees daddy working on the car, and wants to help. She sees mommy baking or cooking and wants to do the same. A 3-4 year old wants to be a Big Boy or Big Girl. This 37 year old little girl wants to be like mommy or daddy. She might know she's not like others, but she doesn't truely understand. What she knows is that she goes to a job, just like daddy, and she gets paid just like daddy. She might hear from her boss "good job". And more than likely hears from her dad "I'm proud of you sweetheart". For her, that means she's worth something. And that WORTH is worth more than a dollar sign.

Simple math.
Question 1: 1 average 17 year old highschool kid can make 1 do dad an hour. He works 3 hours a night 5 nights a week, and earns $6.66 an hour. How much is he worth?

Question 2: Ruth and 3 of her friends make 100 do dads each in one month. They each make $1 per do dad. How much are they worth?

Question 3: Which one is worth more?

There is a center for mentally handicapped people here in town. They used to own the house next door to me and housed 6 people who weren't able to quite live on their own, but institutional living was unneeded. These people looked forward to going to work. To bowling. And to going out with their friends. They would often talk about their work, or bowling, or any number of things they did. Granted they were beyond a 3 or 4 year old, but probably not much beyond 8,9 or 10. The one thing they wanted was to be like everyone else.
To feel important.
To feel wanted.
To feel needed.
And to feel loved.

What good is it if a person makes $30 million dollars a year, and has none of those?
What good is it to take those things away from somebody, for minimum wage?

[sig226]

What else are you going to do with them? Like any other human being, they need something to do. If they have nothing to do, they get bored and find something to do. They might wander off looking for a new experience. Then you have to find them before they wander into traffic or find some other trouble. Even though this woman thinks at the level of a four year old, four year olds still want to accomplish things and believe that they are doing something productive. The workshop provides a place for the person under sympathetic watch. The people running the workshops know the people they work with and know what to expect from them, know how to treat them. It is a positive experience for the disabled person. They get to do something, like the other adults they see.

Besides that, I'm sure that being the parent of a 37 year old woman who thinks as a four year old is a never ending personal challenge. I'm sure the parents are delighted that they can get a little time out, so they don't have to worry about watching the daughter full time. Lord knows they have enough weight on their shoulders.