Not paying for childcare this autumn as bills go up

[Essenceandvibes]

I've just had an epiphany.....I absolutely won't be paying a penny for childcare this autumn as bills increase and I won't be made to feel guilty about it either. I can work from home and watch my baby and pick up my 10 year old from school without the assistance of anyone else and if my employer has an issue with it, he can pay an extra £2000 per month post tax to cover the cost of full time help.

Our bills are going to be about £800 a month just electricity and gas alone for our detached 4 bed house, this isn't even thinking about the increase of petrol or groceries.

The mortgage has also gone up a few hundred quid too....childcare and commuting is now a luxury not necessity and I really hope every parent joins me in asking for employers like it or lump it

Shameful the government have let everything get this far, the knock on effects will be huge

Sounds like a nightmare!

@Essenceandvibes

Genuine question: can you hand on heart, genuinely do your job effectively from home whilst looking after a baby, with no impact on your productivity?

*bad not bed

I left my job 18 months before the pandemic due to health issues;I was thinking of returning to my former employer just before the pandemic struck and was glad I didn't as even though my kids were 10+ during lockdown I wouldn't have been able to WFH in my former role and would have had to leave my role.

2.5 years later and they still have most people WFH;I don't see them actually returning to the office other than for training and they've hugely downsized their office space too.

If every parent of young children did this... we'd all get fired. I think you're overestimating the number of working parents in the system, and underestimating the number of childfree people or parents of older children who would happily take our jobs. Ultimately, even if there was a revolution, it would primarily be women doing it and equality would be set back generations.

How much has your childcare gone up? 2k seems a lot for one baby and one 10 year old

This was also my thought. Where's the dad in all of this? Is he going to risk his job?

Well when the standard of your work drops because you have to look after a baby don’t come crying on here when you get the sack.

Cmon op, tell us about how the kids fathers are also staying home? How you’re encouraging men to do this, cmon, we are all dying to hear.

The thing is that all you will be doing is giving parents (and let's be honest, mothers - or is your DH joining in on your protest?) a bad name as employees. You are also targeting the wrong people (employers rather than government).

It sounds like you think you are being clever and revolutionary, but yuo'd be far better off focusing your energy on something that people can buy into rather than a selfentitled "I'll make my employer pay be £2k nursery bill" that won't work.

Also not sure how your bills can be £800 a month. What on earth are you using? Ours (for a 3 bed house) are £145, just about to go up to £190. And we both WFH.

You wouldn't steal a car!!! You wouldn't rob a granny! Then why would you steal.......................................................a movie?!?!!?!?!?!!?!???????????????????????????

Such a good point.

You are exactly like most of my colleagues and I honestly wish my employer would sack them and hire people who will actually do some work. If you’re in a certain part of the public sector like me you’ll probably be fine though (unfortunately).

Even if tbh is we’re true and our government planned to sort this, you think this would happen overnight.

The costs for Your household expenses and your kids are not your employers, nor your colleague’s problem.

You see financial relief sooner if you sold your house and moved into a smaller one.

It’s nobody’s fault you can’t cover your living costs (which quite frankly I question as my house is bigger and there are more people in it too, all of whom cost a lot more to maintain).

Our bills are going to be about £800 a month just electricity and gas alone for our detached 4 bed house

I know prices are soaring, but I am yet to read about a predicted annual gas and elec charge of just under £10,000

Are you sure that's correct?

No thanks. I did that during lockdowns and almost had a nervous breakdown (in fact I think I would have, if only I had time). It is NOT possible. Good luck!

I get it. But it’s naive to think employers will pressure the government. They’ll just sack you and take on someone who will fulfil the contract they signed (which you wouldn’t be) or demand you go back to the office. Also, WFH will become obsolete as employers find that people can’t be trusted with it if employees treat it like this.

I effectively do do this. I work for myself and can’t be sacked though. My kiddo is 12 and it’s hard for me to concentrate while she’s around, so I plan my business model around doing intensive stuff when she is at school, and only routine, unchallenging stuff when she’s home and Incan be easily interrupted. So I so don’t work full time. Also, it’s not anywhere close to perfect, especially post-covid, and sometimes I do have to ply her with snacks and screen time or drag her off to the accountant or whatever.

In my opinion, unless you are prepared not to work full time (and thus not get full time pay) or the one in absolute control of your workflow and design it with this in mind (and thus restricted in what work you can accept) you need childcare to work effectively. I think it’s only fair on the child, as well, and not possible with a preschooler. My kid was 6 before I was doing this.

I've stopped childcare, I can't afford it now. I take my kid to work every day, working 7 days a week. I own a restaurant and it's fucking hard but I have no choice. Luckily my staff like her and she is mainly good. But this isn't right

childcare and commuting is now a luxury not necessity and I really hope every parent joins me in asking for employers like it or lump it

Imagine if nurses did this. Or teachers. Or me (I work in mental health in an inpatient hospital).

Can you imagine me ringing me boss - "sorry I've decided that commuting to work on the ward is a luxury not a necessity, so you (had been default all the patients) can like it or lump it".

Would go down great, I imagine. 🙄

No OP, as a working mother of 2 who needs to keep my job, I won't be joining you.

And one which it seems has silenced the op. Becayse if daddy was doing it too then she’d not have to stay home all week.

I work in a team of 30, and there are 2 of us using preschool childcare. The vast majority are childfree or have much older children. We absolutely would be sacked if we stopped being productive because we’d decided to work and look after our children at the same time. You’re overestimating the size of this “lobby”. If you want to skive and save yourself money then do it, stop pretending it’s some kind of noble protest.

*and by default

if my employer has an issue with it, he can pay an extra £2000 per month post tax to cover the cost of full time help.

Or fire you. I wonder which he'll choose?🤔