To feel sad seeing a 7 week old baby at DC's nursery today

[comfysketchers]

Dropping my 15 month old off at nursery today before work and there was another woman there at the same time handing over a 7 week old sleeping baby.

He was absolutely tiny and I just felt so sad looking at him thinking that he barely even knows he is out of the womb and his mum is dropping him off to spend all day with strangers in a noisy nursery environment.

I should also add that I live in a country that has excellent parental leave from the government plus most private companies pay at least 10 weeks of full pay on top of that, with many paying much more than that.

YABU - It’s perfectly normal for a 7 week old baby to spend 8 hours per day in a nursery.

YANBU - A 7 week old baby should be at home with its mum.

Are you serious? Unless you’re prepared to torpedo your career and be a SAHP, you shouldn’t have kids?

Fuck me. 😂

Said the woman judging other women for working outside the home when they have small children.

Unbelievable.

Usually because their wives want them.

and for the last time no matter what you say, it would be mothers taking the leave.

Because we live in a sexist society.

I don't know why you keep putting words in my mouth, I've said over and over and over again until I'm blue in the face that I think a PARENT should be at home with their child in the early years. A PARENT. Not a mother. Do you think fathers cannot be SAHP?

Ridiculous decision making.
If you aren’t prepared to even devote the newborn months to time at home - what is the point?? 4/5 weeks of annual leave is realistically all you will see of your child outside of weekends interspersed by household chores and other commitments. Seriously. How can anyone anywhere describe this as ‘progress’
Its barbaric.

No, I'm saying that the people who you so rudely suggested shouldn't have children are all of those things.

I'm sorry, I just don't think this is true. Shared parental leave is becoming more and more common. So are the number of men making flexible working requests to care for children. The wind is changing direction.

Do you want a medal? How fucking delusional. What a narrow view of the world you have

I didn't once say that anyone shouldn't have children, you've got me confused with another poster.

Ordinarily.

This thread is making me question 1 out of 3 though.

What’s your career?

Probably knits yoghurt

The newborn months? There are people on this thread saying that children shouldn't go to nursery before the age of 3.

4-5 weeks of annual leave per year plus weekends is all any working parent will see of their children during the years the child is actually old enough to form long term memories.

My mum stayed at home until I was five and I don't remember any of it.

Well let’s be frank what the fuck does it bring to your life apart from childcare costs? Exhaustion? Distraction? Conflicted feelings? Family friendly holidays’? Mess and expense?

What is the point?

Genuinely.
If you hardly ever see or enjoy them?

It's not about a child 'remembering it' ffs.

I do remember it, actually. I remember the difference between my mum being home and being at work. I certainly remember being sad when she didn't collect me from school.

Because we wanted them and they are our greatest achievement. We made a success of our family and careers.

Well they can, but in practice they don't.

Again.

Who do you think should pay for it?

I don't want to pay your husband to stay at home either, to be clear.

Yet those numbers are tiny compared to women who make flexible working requests or become SAHM's.

Which is exactly what would happen again with 2-3 years of parental leave.

It’s a bit odd you think men don’t want kids. My husband and friends we have definitely chose to have their children! It wasn’t passive resignation!

What’s barbaric is you thinking women should be denied choice. You actually want us to go back to the days of being either a ‘working gal’ or a mother, because having both is apparently ‘barbaric’.

My mother worked. My father worked. I was in childcare of some description (as were my siblings) from a very young age. We are all extraordinarily close, we adore our parents and we’re all in possession of very high flying careers and children, because we all grew up seeing both parents work hard and succeed.

So you're not talking about the newborn months then, are you? Or even the first three years. Now you're lamenting the lack of a SAHP when the child is school age.

I've already answered that question, you don't agree with me and that's fine, but it doesn't change my answer. I don't agree on plenty of things my taxes get spent on, but we live in a democracy so it's rightfully out of my hands.

I wouldn't worry TBH as no one really thinks the rights and needs of children are of any great importance in Britain, so I can't imagine it will be a huge priority for any of the major political parties. Your taxes are quite safe.