Childcare

[muddy]

There is the big debate about childcare .
The government is giving more hours free childcare 
Apparantly childcare costs so much people just work to pay the nursery fees .
So why don't they look after their own children for the first 4 / 5 years of life ? 
Instead they are sent to a place manned by young school leavers who aren't always good/ experienced with babies while the nursery owner makes lots of dosh .

[Raven]

Exactly, I gave been told I'm old fashioned but I don't see the point of having kids then not looking after them. I stopped working when I was 7 months and I didn't return to work until both were in school, then I got a part time only job.

[klondike]

There's far more calls on cash these days that people seem to think are essentials than there were in the good old days when one wage provided enough to bring up a family. 

Without even getting onto the topics of cars, holidays and other stuff just the cost of housing is way over what it was when I started a family. Now I wonder why that might be 

[Alex]

My son and daughter in law both work, they have to to pay the mortgage and all the other bills. Its a fact that wages haven't kept up with the cost of living. 

[Raven]

The first few years are the ones that have so many firsts, first smile, first crawl, first step, first word,ect ect. I would have hated to miss all that. It's the nursery staff who see a lot of that now, such a shame.

[GrannyMac]

I had a job.  Easy to give up. My daughter and daughter in law have careers that they'd worked hard for, and were much older than I was before they had children. They took maximum time off in maternity leave, and my daughter in law took redundancy and became a contractor, so she had time off in chunks. My daughter was a single parent for a while.  I helped out a day a week with that grandchild, who was at  nursery three days a week. 

They are all well mannered, nice kids, the oldest will sit A levels next year. I've read many comments from teachers who find that the kids with working parents are less likely to be disruptive, and more likely to develop a work ethic and do well.  

[klondike]

That may be because when one doesn't work these days the othe either doesn't work either or is no longer around.

[Alex]

Although I didn't like the idea of my grandson going to nursery at such a young age, there was no alternative.    I think it's certainly helped him, particularly as he is an 'only child'

[1955vintage]

Maybe if young parents spent less money on holidays,cars,tv channel subscription,eating out and ordering in junk food, nail bars they could afford one to work from home.

[Scrumpy]

Parents need help with childcare.. They need to work to keep their heads above water..

Maybe if young parents spent less money on holidays,cars,tv channel subscription,eating out and ordering in junk food, nail bars they could afford one to work from home.

Not true of all young parents..
It should be a choice of a couple whether or not they have any children.. I think it is sad when a happy couple can not afford children.. 

[1955vintage]

Nobody has ever been able to afford children. You make do and mend.

[Scrumpy]

Absolutely right...

[GrannyMac]

Housing has never cost as much as it does today in relation to income.  

[1955vintage]

The reason we finished paying our mortgages by the time we were 60 was because we went without and paid over 25 years not 35. Even when interest rates were over 10%

[Michael Rolls]

Housing has never cost as much as it does today in relation to income. 

So true. The house Susan and I bought in 1968 for £5,999, if subjected to normal inflation should now cost around £88,000. A twin was on the market a few months ago for 'offers over £750,000'