To think we should be protesting

[Jessieabs]

For affordable childcare.

Why are we letting the government get away with the absolute joke that is childcare in the U.K.

Over 2k per month to send 2 kids to nursery seems like madness! There should absolutely be reform to this crazy state that we’re in. Surely a huge majority of the voting population have children/have grandchildren or plan to have children, but this issue is rarely talked about at election time!

@forinborin why is your card full? Sorry but I was replying to the post where lady said she wouldn't do the extra hours again as rather be with her son rather than the extra money
I agreed with her as if you work 60 hrs say then its a struggle to have time to spend with your kids , do you not think thats true ?

No people who earn £100k plus is the figure I have used I don't think need extra subsidy other than the 30 hrs they get at 3 , im not saying take this away

Now I am confused!!! you have just told me you already know that people who earn 100k plus don't get the 30 hours but you have just said the above. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[quote worriedatthemoment]@forinborin why is your card full? Sorry but I was replying to the post where lady said she wouldn't do the extra hours again as rather be with her son rather than the extra money
I agreed with her as if you work 60 hrs say then its a struggle to have time to spend with your kids , do you not think thats true ? [/quote]
They were extra hours, I don’t do 60h a week always. However , There will be other people earning I.e 70k without the need of extra hours and still pay a lot to the tax payer money and get 0 benefits back from it.

@EasterIssland but you would of known that beforehand as the tax rate is 40% for high tax payers , there are lots of online calculators
That said £1000 is a lot of money still

Some of these comments! I do hope everyone judging the OP and other parents has an amazing private pension. Because as childbirths drop (in most cases due to affordability) so will their pensions. Or even become non existent. And so bc dull their benefits.

Sometimes MN makes me dispair. Of course it is unfair that working families have to pay through the nose for child care when they are trying to do the right thing and work - but it doesnt seem to pay to do so unless you're a mega earner. I think the govt should step in and support, and also place some responsibility on large corporations to support with child care.
To me a definition of being civilised is lookog after the most vulnerable people - I cant think of anyone more vulnerable than little children.
Plus, if my NI contributions are increasing to help fund social care for baby boomers, I'd rather some went to help fund child care not gonna lie!

@EasterIssland I know they were extra hes and I was agreeing with you as to you saying you would rather spend with your son next time

[quote worriedatthemoment]@Peoniesandpeaches previous generations also wanted and expected less
Im only in my 40's and when I was at school , many wore 2nd hand clothes, no foreign holidays, 1 tv in the house , decorating done every 15 years etc
Even when I had my kids 18 years ago i stopped work as childcare was a lot and we went down to one car , no holidays etc , made sacrifices [/quote]
This is such a persistent piece of nonsense. It’s the myth that until a couple of years ago you were all blitz spirit “mend and make do.” The amount of people wearing second hand clothes and hand me downs hasn’t changed all that much and with the advent of cheaper shops like primary and the supermarket price wars there have been times getting new are cheaper so the expectation around clothes is the same. Yes domestic holidays (pre-COVID) we’re less common but that was due to the fact that foreign travel was prohibitively expensive. Compared for inflation the amount my parents spent for a caravan holiday versus what my friends spend on their family holiday to lanzarote there isn’t much in it. You say that you gave up your job like this was somehow automatically good for society, the economy and or women’s rights. Also frankly I don’t see why this is relevant to whether or not childcare should be better subsidized.

@Cantgetausername87 babyboomers is such a derogatory term
These people already paid ni and taxes and some continue to pay taxes , they also consume and buy and put into the economy
And most of us on here are saying subsidised for lower even middle earners but we don't agree for high earners
These will be the ones who do have the large pensions etc as they earn enough to have a pension
Some of us can't even afford a pension

@Dogsandbabies

Some of these comments! I do hope everyone judging the OP and other parents has an amazing private pension. Because as childbirths drop (in most cases due to affordability) so will their pensions. Or even become non existent. And so bc dull their benefits.

Yeah I do infact, because there have already in the past been hints about pensions perhaps not being around for everyone so im not stupid enough to bury my head in the sand and think ill get a state pension so making sure I have enough of a private one sorted out.

You know being responsible and accountable to sustain my life and not rely on other people to fund it.

It’s not the government though is it ? It’s the tax payer. I don’t think you realise how lucky you are. In my day you had no help, you either looked after your own kids or payed someone else to.

[quote worriedatthemoment]@forinborin why is your card full? Sorry but I was replying to the post where lady said she wouldn't do the extra hours again as rather be with her son rather than the extra money
I agreed with her as if you work 60 hrs say then its a struggle to have time to spend with your kids , do you not think thats true ? [/quote]
Well, because working 60 hours is often not a choice. And also generally such a trope. Blaming mothers for working too hard, blaming mothers for not working too hard, or not working at all, or in the wrong occupation, or having too few children, or having too many. Show me a mother and I'll show you 50 things she's doing wrong in someone's opinion.
Motherhood is risky, financially probably one of the most reckless decisions a woman can take in her life - whether it is a woman with no qualifications or a woman with a PhD in astrophysics, motherhood a great leveller. But I don't think that everyone opting out of having children is a feasible solution for the humanity either.
That's probably why it is so disheartening to see such lack of support here.

@Peoniesandpeaches rubbish that a holiday then cost more
People had a lot less thats simply a fact
People saved and waited for things
I was stating that as a lower earner I gave up work when I had kids and made sacrifices as thats whats you do, so why can't a high earner make some sacrifices as well, if we subsidise all childcare for all again its the lower earners that also will have to pay more taxes

Don't have children if you cant afford them then.

[quote worriedatthemoment]@EasterIssland but you would of known that beforehand as the tax rate is 40% for high tax payers , there are lots of online calculators
That said £1000 is a lot of money still[/quote]
Yes of course I did. But my project needed me at the time (COVID related) so I thought it was the good thing to do to get the project finished giving up the time with my son. When I saw the tax payer bill I decided The time with my son was more important than getting a project related with COVID finished on time

It's really sad that so many people are bitter & if they didn't have something they want others to not have it too. Fighting over the scraps & blaming others rather than looking at the government. Not good for society.

Don't have children if you cant afford them then.

So no tax credits? I don't think only the elite should be able to have kids.

@EmKayEm

Don't have children if you cant afford them then.

Again , so those earning 20k can’t afford a child so aren’t allowed to have one ? Is this fair ? Only those earning 100k can afford the children ?

@forinborin i have not blamed anyone but I am entitled to an opinion , for some 60 hrs may not be a choice but for some it is
If you have a job that requires you to work 60 hrs then of course your childcare will be high
But 60 hrs is not an average working week

People saved and waited for thing

Why do you think people don't do this now?

@dongke I don't think the issue is not wanting others to have something better. The issue is not wanting to be forced to pay for it.

@EasterIssland its not relevant that is a covid related project
Thats a choice you make for you the time with your son is worth more than the money , for some though they would really really need that £1000

@dongke some do but the rate of borrowing shows many do not
Credit and credit cards, overdrafts etc were not really readily available
You had the provident man and some hp , odd bank loan etc
Also evident by many i know who put something on credit rather than save and wait

@MintJulia my post was specifically in response to previous posts about sacrifices & "n my day you had no help, you either looked after your own kids or payed someone else to."

I just don't have an issue with paying taxes to make society better & we pay a lot!

@dongke its not about being bitter but your asking people who earn a lot lot less to pay for those on very high wages .
You don't agree with it for ni purposes bit do for childcare ?