It doesn’t take a village to raise a kid, but your neighbors sure can be of some help. That is of course unless you live in Michigan. Apparently if you live in Michigan and you look after one of your neighbors’ kids, you are violating the law. You see, big brother doesn’t like it when you play good neighbor. You can’t be trusted. The government on the other hand, well there’s no use in arguing, it knows best.
What am I talking about? I’ll refer you to a report by The Associated Press that details the story of Lisa Snyder who looks after her neighbors’ kids for about an hour each morning before they go to school. In Michigan, and probably elsewhere, it is verboten to “care for unrelated children in their home for more than four weeks each calendar year unless they are licensed day-care providers.” (James Prichard, “State To Mom: Stop Baby-Sitting Neighbors’ Kids,” The Associated Press, 9/29/09)
What’s next, a tax on the cup of sugar you borrow from the person across the street?
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