How many jobs per week am I expected to apply for on universal credit

No - quite clearly I stated that ‘not all nurseries are good’ and that is where I would place blame as those very early years are so important that if a child is in a setting below the expected standard it will have repercussions. No blame on working parents at all.

Yes 😩 The role of being a mum is given a lower status than ever now. Literally someone up thread called it skiiving off. In reality it’s the most one of the most jobs there is- you cannot under state the importance of structure, stability and presence of a parent or primary carer in a child 0-5 years. Just sad and depressing that so many women don’t really have a choice.

I completely agree with your posts @WhiteLily1, it would require a fundamental societal and economical shift in attitude towards the vital role of motherhood and childhood development, but would benefit both mothers and young children hugely.

Honestly, you really think the blame for increased CAMHS lists should be placed at the door of working parents? I would imagine Covid, a decline in living standards, the COL crisis, better recognition of ND may have contributed. But you are right - not all nurseries are as good as they should be. We should all be campaigning for better nurseries, more recognition of early years practitioners and adequate funding for childcare.

But don’t pretend working parents don’t care about their children. Some of the comments have been infuriating and quite ill informed. ‘Pearl clutchers”, “pious”, “palming kids off with strangers”. Many parents return to work because they don’t want to live on benefits and instead want to financially support their children.

Yes sorry I wasn’t disagreeing with you I probably should have made that clearer

Which is why I said I thought 10 hours max was a good idea. So parent is at home most of the time, but child has a chance to interact with others for a bit.

I think a lot of posters project and cope because they actually resent putting their young babies in nursery for long hours. You see a similar level of vitriol towards Sahms where the father is the bread winner and they don't need any benefits so all this about "a waste of my tax money" is actually a thinly veiled cope.

I say this but I'm actually a working mother myself although I don't sit around seething about Sahms because I am genuinely happy with my own life.

No wonder camhs waiting lists are so long. Not all nurseries are good.

I don't agree with some posters on here. You have a young child to look after. Just a few years ago you didn't have to look for work till your youngest was 5. Over the years the government has chipped away at the value of being there for young children when it was the norm years ago. I think it's wrong. 10 hours work while your child gets used to others at nursery or a childminder sounds like a good balance for parent and child in my opinion.

This is so lovely. It's really nice to hear a story like this. It is exactly what I would hope the system is there for... To equip people to educate themselves and be able to provide a future for themselves and their children outside of the benefit system!

You sound really motivated and I wish you the best! Good luck with your studies.

Interesting

Of course there will be the minority of mothers who can’t or won’t parent well. But for the vast majority of mums and babies, I firmly believe that it’s better to have one primary carer and for that to be the mum. And every mum of a baby or young child should have the viable option to stay with their baby rather than going back to work full time if they choose to.

Your answer lacks nuance. It looks at one factor, assumes that the SAHP will be able/willing to parent in the way you are (or project you are) and forgets many factors such as household income, housing environment, education of parents , number of parents in the house, access to books/learning activities and educational opportunities.
Respectfully, I think to come on here and make a sweeping suggestion that children would be better looked after at home is really quite linear thinking. In some circumstances they are, but in many others they can thrive in nurseries.

It was 16 until 2008.

That's really great news op, I wish you the very best 😊

I’m not a policy maker or a politician so I dont know how it would be brought about- I expect it would need a huge shift in many areas as we have gone down a very capitalist path in the UK where you are expected to work every hour to pay taxes which then are not always used wisely or make the rich even richer.
I am however, a mother to multiple children and a primary teacher. I know first hand, and also via studies that the first 5-7 years of a child’s life is the most important. It shapes the child into who they are fundamentally going to be. All the rest of the years are add ons. Icing on the already made cake.
In answer to your question suppose I view it that we should all be paying for it. Shaping the next generation into worthwhile members of society is for the benefit of every single one of us. It’s best done via a solid foundation, with a present consistent parent for the vast majority of the week. Not nurseries with a mixture of staff coming and going from 7am-6pm

Not always, I was a single working parent and working FT with no Gps.
So not everyone has a huge back up.
Single parents need support with working and cc costs with the aim of returning to FT work.. Dare I say that some people choose to be single parents and expect the state to support them. Contentious but true .

parents plural. With potentially four grandparents as back up, plus a larger social circle.

A lone parent has half of that and twice the pressure. Better to work a 10 hour week well and be a reliable employee and parent than be shit at everything working full time.

Okay….so we agree childcare when funded properly benefits the wider economy so actually it’s about ‘choice’. If everyone makes that choice who pays for public services and benefits?

I think individual family circumstances are more important than the economy. It should be an equal choice.

It’s doesn’t. Read my previous post. Funding childcare properly will have a net positive impact.

I completely agree

At one time I believe it was 16.

who do you think should pay for that? and at what rate?

Disagree. Should be a mother’s fundamental right to be able to look after her baby / young child during the week. Not he forced back to work leaving the baby with a stranger / multiple strangers. Not good for the child or the mother who wants to be with them.