Washington, D.C. Wants to Require a License for Children's Play Dates

At the risk of engaging in hyperbole, the leftist endgame includes the regulation of all aspects of our lives; things, frankly, that are none of our neighbors’ business, much less the government’s. One of the latest examples of this is the stupidity of D.C. bureaucrats attempting to interpret regulative policies in a way that would require parents to acquire a license before allowing their child’s friends to come over for a play date.

Kerry McDonald exposes the D.C. bureaucrats’ plan in an article for the Foundation for Economic Education. At the start of her article, she poses the question:

Let’s say you and some of your friends decide to gather your young children together a couple of days a week for a few hours of free play. Maybe you switch off who leads the gaggle of kids each week, allowing for some shared free time and flexibility. Sounds like a great arrangement for all, right?

Except, and ripping the rug out from under that “great arrangement,” McDonald bluntly declares, “According to government officials in Washington, DC, arrangements like this are violations of the law.”

This dictatorial governmental overreach was prompted by D.C. officials sniffing around a long-standing playgroup at a church. The playgroup for toddlers was started in the 1970s and successfully continued, without problems, until D.C. despots decided to stick their noses in the parents’ business.

According to a recent Washington Post article written by Karin Lips of the Network of Enlightened Women, “Some DC government officials now are trying to regulate the program, which they contend is an illegal child-care facility.” The Office of the State Superintendent of Education investigated the playgroup cooperative in early September and issued a statement saying the group is violating child care facility laws and must get a license to operate.

McDonald goes on to point out that the parents involved with the offending play group are not happy — “outraged” is the term used. D.C. officials, however, argue that since the playgroup has a list of informal rules — don’t bring a sick child, inform the other parents about food allergies, ask for emergency contact information to be provided, etc. — the group is operating as a formal organization that requires government oversight.

The thing is, as McDonald insists, using her and her friends as an example, most informal playgroups have similar rules. I too have rules for my son’s friends who come over for a playdate: they can’t be contagious and I need contact information. According to D.C.’s dictators, my son’s playdates should be licensed and regulated by the “all-knowing” State. Thankfully, I live across the Potomac in Arlington. But, as we all know, leftists are devoted to spreading their control throughout the country and beyond. No doubt, leftists in my community and your community are looking to the leftists on the D.C. City Council for inspiration and ideas.