to be shocked at those who went on strike today and took their kids along to hold the placards????

[Thruaglassdarkly]

I am a teacher of 12 years on a break to look after my small kids. I'm married to a teacher also and we now live on one wage, which just about does us fine if we're very careful, so I feel quite lucky about that. Obviously, the pension cuts will affect us and we're not overly happy, but we are both against the idea of striking for many reasons, not least because it'll hurt many people - the kids, many parents who need to take a day off etc etc. We don't think that we should impose on others for our own gain, in short.
So, I have a lot of friends who are teachers who think otherwise. They took their kids on the protests today, took photos of them holding placards and put them on FB. AIBU to find this all a bit distasteful??? I think that these same children- should public sector workers get their way - will be facing a massive tax bill in years to come, way beyond our imaginings. Is it right therefore, to stick a placard in their hands when they are 5, 6 or so and photograph them "protesting"???? It seems a bit cynically exploitative to me and I'm so shocked that my friends have taken advantage of their kids in this way to make a political point. No flaming please - just reasoned debate. Many thanks.

Fair enough, if parents want to march on protests, whatever floats your boat...

No, it doesn't 'float my boat', I'd rather not have to, as it goes. Why the dismissive attitude?

Going on a march as a one off, isolated activity won't enrich and enlighten children - though it won't harm them either- even if it does rain a bit .
However, having parents who encourage children to stand up for what they believe in and so on will, I believe, go a long way towards enabling dc to develop their own views - and these may or may not be in accordance with those of their parents.

Do you extend the same sneery attitude to parents who drag their dc to church every week?

YABU and weirdly naive. DH took DS1 on a march last year when he was 4. Very good for him it was too . There's too much political apathy and so you should teach your children to have a voice

When I was 10 my teachers went on strike for weeks (this was in Canada). The parents at my school were generally very supportive of this strike and once or twice my mum went down to join and them, and we got to hold placards and stuff. Sure I only had a basic knowledge of what the issues were, but it was a fantastic 'teachable' moment and showed me democracy at work.

Oh, and this reminds me of the time in kindergarten when my very socially left-leaning teacher did a unit on work and trade unions with us (yes, we were 5 :) We got to make signs and march around the classroom going "We're on strike, we're on strike!" and hold 'negotiations' with our teacher about the circumstances under which we would return to school. It was brilliant!

LeQueen, I don't think the argument is that people think their children will be spiritually and morally enriched by going on a protest, just that it isn't wrong to take them if you feel it's an important part of your life. At least that's how I see it.

Cross post with Lecce - you put it so much better!

YABU. Are you kidding? A lot less weird than taking your children to church/synagogue/temple/mosque every Sunday and feeding them a load of old bollocks about God existing.

Couldn't do the picket lines as DS is severely disabled and couldn't cope but we have taken DS2 to three different Occupy sites (on our way to somewhere more fun) and to the big Public Sector march in London last year. He liked it, he's interested in current affairs and politics. Aged 9. My father is a Tory and he used to take us to political events throughout my childhood. As a result, I am interested in politics...and I vote Labour.

I don't support the aims of this strike, but I do support the right of the strikers to withhold their labour and to take their children along to picket lines and demonstrations if they want.

Have just dived striaght to the bottom of the thread, but it is no more shocking than people taking small children to church.

They are simply involving their children in an activity that they believe is right.

How else are parents meant to get to the picket line and support the strike?

Maybe the kids will learn that there's nothing wrong with going out in the cold, wet and damp weather

Poor darlings.

Actually taking a child to a march is one thing and I accept that strikers with children who wanted to assert their right to demonstrate peacefully had little choice. However, I always balk at seeing children carrying placards or wearing t shirts with political slogans etc. They are being used as a photogenic vehicle for the opinions of their parents. I don't like seeing children being used in this manner even if they are enjoying their day out.

It's inevitable that children will be influenced by their parents views on religion, politics etc. but there is a big difference between accepting that and actually allowing your child to wave messages around that they have no real understanding of.

Why do kids always have to have fun? Life is boring sometimes and we don't need to ensure that every moment of their day is orchestrated by us for entertainment purposes.

I don't know how it's gone from holding a placard to chanting slogans etc etc either.

goodness LeQ thats a whole lot of you've got going on there

Actually, when our DS was first born 17 years ago, DH still held political ambitions (he gave them up when DS was about 4 because he was starting to earn too much money!) We made a conscious decision that we would never take DS to a political function or fundraising event because we thought it was inappropriate. In the same vein, I don't think children should have been involved in the strike action in any way yesterday.

The most salient point, however, is that I don't think the children should have been available to join a protest yesterday because actually they should have been at school. If teachers want me to respect them because they are professionals they need to behave like professionals and use the facts and reasoned argument to support their requests to have their pensions reviewed. I have not heard very much about that. I suspect that if the majority of the population realised how generous the teachers pensions scheme continues to be support would be quickly withdrawn

I know what you mean. I quite like and , but says it in a way that only can

The little buggers had better get out there and protest hard; if the planned pension changes go ahead, they'll be the ones supporting us in our old age.

no, don't think it means musing on the whole, although occasionally it could. Generally I take to mean 'you are talking a load of bollocks'

YABU.