Babies at Work

The Oceanside Baby War has come to a blessed end, but it’s not clear whether the truce represents social progress or regression.

City Manager Suzanne Foucault, who stirred the controversy by bringing her 11-week-old adopted daughter, Anne, to work two days a week, has now found a baby sitter. But the issues raised during the debate over Anne’s presence in City Hall are likely to circulate in Oceanside and elsewhere for some time to come.

Among the difficult questions are whether a baby hurts the professional atmosphere of an office; whether all employees should be allowed to bring their children if the top managers do, and whether a child is served by being brought into a work environment.

The Oceanside situation also has focused attention on the feasibility and advisability of employers providing some kind of child care.

These are all legitimate questions worthy of discussion. Unfortunately, the vitriol that Foucault was subjected to from some critics was out of line and served the image-conscious city badly.