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Main boards => General Discussion => Topic started by: muddy on April 02, 2024, 02:13:44 PM

Title: Childcare
Post by: muddy on April 02, 2024, 02:13:44 PM
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 .
Title: Re: Childcare
Post by: Raven on April 02, 2024, 02:22:45 PM
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.
Title: Re: Childcare
Post by: klondike on April 02, 2024, 03:50:39 PM
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  :rolleyes:
Title: Re: Childcare
Post by: Alex on April 02, 2024, 05:45:28 PM
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. 
Title: Re: Childcare
Post by: Raven on April 02, 2024, 06:07:40 PM
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.
Title: Re: Childcare
Post by: GrannyMac on April 02, 2024, 10:25:38 PM
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.  
Title: Re: Childcare
Post by: klondike on April 03, 2024, 09:34:24 AM
That may be because when one doesn't work these days the othe either doesn't work either or is no longer around.
Title: Re: Childcare
Post by: Alex on April 03, 2024, 01:04:44 PM
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'
Title: Re: Childcare
Post by: 1955vintage on April 03, 2024, 05:43:13 PM
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.
Title: Re: Childcare
Post by: Scrumpy on April 03, 2024, 06:21:46 PM
Parents need help with childcare.. They need to work to keep their heads above water..
Quote from: 1955vintage on April 03, 2024, 05:43:13 PMMaybe 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.. 
Title: Re: Childcare
Post by: 1955vintage on April 03, 2024, 09:46:30 PM
Nobody has ever been able to afford children. You make do and mend.
Title: Re: Childcare
Post by: Scrumpy on April 04, 2024, 10:09:48 AM

Absolutely right...
Title: Re: Childcare
Post by: GrannyMac on April 04, 2024, 01:23:39 PM
Housing has never cost as much as it does today in relation to income.  
Title: Re: Childcare
Post by: 1955vintage on April 04, 2024, 06:22:43 PM
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%
Title: Re: Childcare
Post by: Michael Rolls on April 05, 2024, 09:58:44 AM
Quote from: GrannyMac on April 04, 2024, 01:23:39 PMHousing 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'
Title: Re: Childcare
Post by: klondike on April 05, 2024, 10:11:00 AM
Similar at the lower end too. One I bought aroind then for £1,500 would fetch about £200k now.
Title: Re: Childcare
Post by: muddy on April 06, 2024, 10:49:31 AM
It's amazing how houses have soared .
The price is a house fifty years ago would hardly buy a garden shed today .