General Chat

FOR THE THIRD YEAR OUR VILLAGE HAS NO SUMMER PLAY SCHEME FOR
WORKING MUMS, THE NEAREST AT A PRIVATE SCHOOL IS £160 AWEEK,NOW THATS MORE THAN THE AVERAGE MUMS WAGE,I SUGGESTED (YOU COULD HEAR THE EXPLOTION MILES AWAY)I SUGGESTED SHE TOOK A WEEK OFF WORK
UNPAID WHICH I HEARD SOME FIRMS ALLOW,BUT TWO WEEKS £320 ,,,,,IF SHE PAYS THAT SHES MAD

The problem is, governments/MP's no longer live in the 'real' world.
They expect mothers to work, but have cut funding for children's facilities :-(
The increase in the retirement age must also be causing problems.

They (MP's) of course have no problem - they usually have a nanny /au pair, and can't understand why the rest of us don't. :-S

its not up to "play schemes" or anyone else to mind our children, if we choose to work,

daynurserys are expensive but if your on a low wage tax credits will help with the expense,
most save there holidays, for school holidays so that cuts the costs,

thats what familys for :-D :-D

If you have family who are willing and able to help out - many parents don't have that option, sadly.

True some don't sadly,

But it's still not up to the government to provide child care,

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I CANT HAVE GRANDIES
HOPE ID BE WELL ENOUGH BUT IM NOT

i dont mind having my familys children or the neighbours
for free during school holidays
as i enjoy having them around

we have great fun :-D

and if i need to go away they return the favour
by looking after my pets
or help me with another matter :-D :-D
where i live everybody helps each other
we are like a great big family :-D :-D

and, to be blunt .........................

I would NOT wish to become the regular baby sitter for my grandson.

Occasional, yes

help out in an emergency, yes


regular dependable "grandma babysitting" ............... NO WAY!



I did my time .............. and I'm too old to be running around around after a 3 year old.

and before you all get mad at me .....................

I practised what I preach


I grant you, we had no family here when I had my daughter, but still would never have dreamt of asking grandparents to do regular sitting.

The onus is on the parents


I went back to work 6 weeks after she was born, and paid for babysitting


First, it was a neighbour who had a baby around the same age. That lasted about 14 months

We then lived in Australia for a year

I got a baby sitter / housekeeper who came to the house daily ................. cost me almost all my salary to pay her

Then, at age 3 it was a licensed day care in the Community Centre

Then school beginning at age 6 ..........

......... and I paid my teenage baby sitters to take care of her during the long holidays.

I took time off between Christmas and New Year, and OH and I shared taking time off at Easter.


Daughter does the same now ............... and never asks her in-laws to help even though they only live an hour away.

i cherish every moment spent with my grandson
he is the sunshine of our lives
and never fails to put a smile on our faces
no matter what life throws at us
his smile makes everything worth while
:-D :-D

Dizzi



why can't the people living in the village get together and run a summertime playgroup??


Charge parents an amount, then pay a couple of the teenagers to run it.


It shouldn't cost an arm and a leg!

Dizzi, you are not well enough at the moment to care for Grandchildren and should not be made to feel guilty.You have done your bit with little thanks.

If mothers grouped together they could work something out.

Sylvia, it's not that easy here. You have to have CRB checks, have 'x' number of adults for 'x' number of children, place the scheme is run has to be vetted etc.
There used to be a scheme called 'Sure Start' that provided subsidised play schemes and after school activities for children whose mothers worked. Funding has now been cut.

Not sure if anyone is aware of the cost of playscheme places - but if my daughter's husband isn't available to look after the children (she tends to work nights to make this easier), then most of the money she earns pays for childcare!!

maggiew .....................


not much different here ......... checks still have to be done, etc .................... but there are also umpteen "unlicensed" daycares, summer camps, events, day / week events.

There's always a way!


For 18 years, most of what I earned went to pay for childcare and for her schooling ...................


OK, it was OUR choice for me to continue to work ................... I'd have gone stark stirring mad if I had had to stay home

It was OUR choice to put her into a private school ............ but actually that school cost LESS than the officially recognised daycare that she attended from ages 3 to 6.


My salary paid for all costs to do with her (including books, uniform, extracurricular activities), plus allowed a small amount of "jam" ................ such as camping holidays in the summer.



There were many months when there was more month left than there was money .............. although she was never aware of that.


And we were both highly educated professionals ..........

....... so I am well aware of costs

They were high in the 70s and through the 80s, and they are even higher now.



I still say that it is the parents responsibility to arrange daycare, and not to automatically depend on grandparents, or expect it.



Joy ..........

.......... I have never said I do not dote on my grandson, but for short periods only, please!


Even OH who has much better health than me, and is able to walk and run, finds 3 hours very tiring.

We do live over 5,000 km from them ............... that's an 8 hour plane trip, so we tend to see him for a week or 10 days at a time, about once every year. Twice if we're lucky.


........... and we do live in the same country!

My little grandson aged 2 and a half goes to a registered child care place and it is well run he even has his own little bed with his name on and he has his own soft toy that sits on it. He has a report each day on everything he eats, pants changed etc Plus he has a big book all about him and his activities which stays at the creche but we were allowed to take it home for Nana to look at when she was staying there.

The cost of this is $60NZ a day. They are not allowed to attend when they have a cold so this costs parent time at home and still paying for the creche. He gets better and then catches the remains of another child's cold and the cycle usually continues with an off again on again attendance during winter months. Additional problem is this cycle often continues with the parents getting the colds as well.

Persie

It is winter now and hopefully with him that much older he will be less prone to catching anything that is in the air. Had a very bad winter of it last year.

My daughter has her son in a small daycare that has between 6 and 8 children, aged 1 year to 6 years

The daycare will take children who are sick with colds etc, as long as they are not demanding cuddling by the parent


But this also results in cold after cold being brought home and passed around!

Mind you, her husband is a teacher, and brings his own supply of colds home from his school


The children are kept active, taken out for walks, have loads of toys, and parents given an oral report every day.

The daycare provider takes 2 weeks holiday in the summer .......... and my daughter and her husband handle that by taking holidays themselves at the same time. Other days off are taken by the carer during school holidays, and so father, a teacher, has to take care of kiddie wink.

The problem comes when the carer herself is too sick to work!


I've never asked daughter how much she pays, but I assume it will be a lot!!

6 working mums, each take a week and have all the children. No cost involved at all! When its your week , you do have cost (obviously) so it all evens out.

I am always staggered by the lack of foresite by councils/government to make some provision during the school holidays.

Our goverment consists of millionaires who all have nannys, so they have no idea how hard it can be for parents to cope with work and trying to find some sort of childcare for the bulk of the 6 week holidays. God alone knows what will happen if schools are allowed to set their own holidays and you have several children at different schools, with different holidays.

And no everyone has family living nearby to help.

True lack of understanding.

And I have no children, but am amazed at the attitude to families at times.

penny what a fab idea x :-D :-D