To think the level of state involvement many posters expect is bonkers?

What percentage is that of the population though? I’d wager not the same % who aren’t potty training and brushing teeth.

Most but not quite everyone. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56906654

Everyone has a phone and everyone has the internet. Everyone is able to google, easily, potty training guidelines or how to brush their child’s teeth. Just as everyone is able to google screen time advice or dietary advice.

it is not hard. People just do not give a fuck to do it.

and some people know and are “too busy”.

There’s a thread running right now by a mum of two boys who have been suspended from school for getting into fights on the bus home from school. She wants TAs or prefects to be onese buses to supervise kids on their way home.

Tbf, she sounds like an exasperated mother who is upset her boys have been suspended (and that the younger one was picked on, proud the elder stepped in to defend him). But WHY is the natural instinct to ask OTHER PEOPLE to do her/the father’s for her/him? I havent posted on that thread as my point has already been made. But a TA?? A prefect - also a child?? Why can’t people take responsibility for their own children?

Classic NHS apologist "it's free, you're lucky etc". It's not sodding free. Taxpayers are paying a small fortune for it. It's the "it's free" attitude of some NHS staff which needs stamping out as it leads to the "can't be arsed to provide a decent service" mentality.

It’s pretty obvious isn’t it that if you have surgery in your eye you won’t be able to drive for a period of time afterwards?

@RosesAndHellebores This happened last week

Someone i know has just had cataract surgery in his right eye and nowhere in the initial NHS letter or texts or phone calls did it say he couldnt drive for a week afterwards, They didnt tell him that till AFTER the procedure. So now he is stuck at home with very low gas and electric because he cant drive to corner shop to top up.
Why cant he walk??? Because he is still waiting for his knee replacement to be done by same NHS and his mobility is fucked due to the (so far) five year wait.
If they had let him know about the not driving BEFORE the procedure he would have topped up extra beforehand. Oh and hes retired so i guess they thought it didnt matter that he couldnt drive for a week despite his limited mobility.

Yes re the extras beyond basic state pension (SERPS and S2P), but the basic state pension is only dependant upon "credits" not the amount of NICs paid, as I said.

He could have asked at the consultations beforehand or could have googled.

Classic example of not taking responsibility and expecting others to do things/tell him things that he could easily have found out for himself.

I was at the breast clinic the other day - never ideal. I had to wait 40 minutes or so before being seen which was totally acceptable in my view. This one woman kept going up and complaining how others who came in after her were being seen. The receptionist calmly told her that they were seeing different consultants. Still she whinged. It’s free, you’re lucky to get it.

@RosesAndHellebores This happened last week

Someone i know has just had cataract surgery in his right eye and nowhere in the initial NHS letter or texts or phone calls did it say he couldnt drive for a week afterwards, They didnt tell him that till AFTER the procedure. So now he is stuck at home with very low gas and electric because he cant drive to corner shop to top up.
Why cant he walk??? Because he is still waiting for his knee replacement to be done by same NHS and his mobility is fucked due to the (so far) five year wait.
If they had let him know about the not driving BEFORE the procedure he would have topped up extra beforehand. Oh and hes retired so i guess they thought it didnt matter that he couldnt drive for a week despite his limited mobility.

@taxguru that only applies to young people. For anyone above mid twenties(?) it does still apply to the amount of pension we receive.

I have known children who are unable to function properly in school due to home circumstances such as not having a table or even a pen at home to do homework. Also teenagers who don't know how to use a knife and fork to eat with. There will always be instances where stepping in is crucial.
Some people just shouldn't have children. Ever.

@EasternStandard

False economy is why state dependancy is so high now.

Cutting public services funding, and privatising a lot of it so it's now run on a shoestring by private companies (who despite the shoddy service provided and poorly paid staff, get millions for the contract).

That means people don't get effective and timely help. Which means they end up in worse circumstances, more of a crisis, poorer health, and in need of more help than they originally did.

As a result of the false economy, higher numbers of people end up dependant on the state, and with more costly needs, and are dependant for longer periods of time.

As someone who has no need for the state to provide any of those things for my child as I do it myself, I am still in favour of the state providing plenty of support for children. Bear in mind that the resources different families have, and the quality of parenting between different families varies enormously. You can preach until the cows come home about how parents should be doing and providing all of these things themselves but the reality is that plenty can't or won't and the only hope those children have is the school or state providing for them to slightly narrow the gap between them and their better parented or more resource rich peers.

I have known children who are unable to function properly in school due to home circumstances such as not having a table or even a pen at home to do homework. Also teenagers who don't know how to use a knife and fork to eat with. There will always be instances where stepping in is crucial.
Some people just shouldn't have children. Ever.