Will You Need a State License for a Playdate?

The state of Michigan is threatening legal action against a woman who help her neighbors by babysitting their kids and getting them on the school bus in the morning.

Lisa Snyder of Middleville says her neighborhood school bus stop is right in front of her home. It arrives after her neighbors need to be at work, so she watches three of their children for 15-40 minutes until the bus comes.

Her "crime?" Running an "unlicensed daycare facility."

The Department of Human Services received a complaint that Snyder was operating an illegal child care home. DHS contacted Snyder and told her to get licensed, stop watching her neighbors' kids, or face the consequences.

So, if you baby sit kids for any period of time, you need a license from the state?

What does this say about our country? Does the government really think we can no longer care for our own children? Or, does it mean that the government is truly out of control. I'll suggest the latter.

What does this mean for little Sally next door who watches your children so you and your spouse can go to a moive? Will Sally need to register as a child care provider?

Maybe Ms. Snyder should be glad she doesn't live in Massachusetts. She would have to submit a “curriculum” that provides “evidence that programs provide specific, planned learning experiences” and that supports “school-readiness.”

If my kids friends come over for a play-date, will I need to submit a written progress reports must be issued every three to six months that track the cognitive, social, emotional, language, motor and life skill developments of infants and preschoolers.

And you want the government to run healthcare....