Inequality is widening even in middle class children

[Ifelttherainsinafrica]

We live in a nice, mc road. Kids all go to the nice state schools nearby & most of the kids went to activities in the evening. Since September those kids have been out playing since 9 even after dark some as old as 4... I asked dd why her friends were no longer coming to karate & soccer, she said their parents can't afford it.. I met one of our neighbours this evening who said they had to cut right back on extras for the kids due to the cost of living.. Feel so sorry for the kids.. The inequality used be between the working class & middle class now many of the middle class can no longer afford what they used be able to.. Aibu to think this or is it just my perception?

Define poverty.

Sorry I havn't read the replies yet, yet want to say this is my observation & I think it's sad. Soon we will only have a top tier.. Also with numbers dwindling these activities may no longer be able to afford overheads, the little shop beside the dance studio has always had a steady stream of kids coming to buy a drink or a little treat after training... So it's not just affecting the kids whose parents need to cut back, it's affecting other local businesses too..

Ah, so up to only a couple of months ago (you said it) they could afford and now they can't.

Hello Tory party HQ. Married to a Tory? Are a Tory? In just a couple if months look what the government have done, walks, moans, despair.......

You do realise that the Tory government mucked things up for 14 years 🙄

exactly - is this an AI post?

Yes they are unfortunately. Rents have gone up as landlords pass on costs. A 6% interest rate affected everyone at that time and even a small increase impacts someone on a low income.

I think I understand what you are trying to say OP and I think it does matter.
I help run a kids' sports club. It's a community, volunteer run thing and we keep our costs as low as we can so that it is as accessible as possible. But we have seen a significant drop in numbers over the last 2 years. Most of our costs are fixed - venue hire, affiliation to our national governing body, first aid courses and so on - so it costs us the same to run a session for 25 kids as for 50 but we only get half the income. And venue hire has gone up substantially. But if we increase our fees we'll probably lose more kids and eventually we won't be able to continue any more. We've lost money over the last 2 years. I reckon we can keep going for another couple at most if things don't change. Most of the volunteers funded their own courses this year and none of us claimed any expenses. It's not sustainable long term though.
OK, not being able to do a hobby is not comparable to not having enough to eat, but lots of children do benefit from participation in organised sports and activities and I'm sure there are many clubs just about hanging on by the skin of their teeth at present. Unless things look up soon I think there will be a lot less opportunities for all but the most affluent families and that is definitely not a good thing.

You first.

@Itssodark I thought we were talking about the middle class here?

It's football ffs, are you that pedantic..

I think you are AIBU to use the word "class".

Working class, middle class etc are extremely old fashioned terms

How can you guess who a stranger on the Internet feels sorry for? I have complete empathy for children living under the breadline, it's awful. My point is that inequality is spreading more & more sure to the cost of living.

@SunQueen24 sure. Poverty is not being able to afford basic needs.

Food, heating, electricity, water, appropriate clothing, adequate/safe shelter etc.

I said they are out playing until 9..they are no longer going to their activities as there parents can't afford them any longer. A few neighbours made the decision after the summer to make cutbacks. Also prices have increased due to club overheads.

Were kids going to activities until 9 pm every night of the week before? Even 4 year olds?

My 4 year old only does 2 activities and both finish by 5 pm. There are no activities for 4 year olds than go on until 9 pm surely?

Yabu for saying empathy when you mean sympathy

They can afford iphones though.

Hmmm, have you had a look to make sure they haven't squandered their money on a big TV, op?

OP there's been a CoL crisis , yes but so many people overstretched on their mortgage. That's hit families far more than anything else IMO.

You saw it on here ALL the time when interest rates were near zero. All posts asking 'should I upsize/move to an expensive area with good schools' met with a resounding chorus of 'stretch yourselves', 'prices will always go up', 'need' the space etc.

People are now realising after 10+ years of cheap money, that Interest rates (and the converse for prices) can go up, as well as down.

So many people coming off below 1% rates to 3% or even 5%... Massive, massive shock.

Your naice MC street near a good school is probably a prime area for this to happen.

I think our school is doing a few things to combat this and more should follow. They do an excellent winter clothing sale each year which gets tons of good coats, snow boots etc. They do music lessons which are very inclusive as an afterschool class, so killing two birds with one stone, providing an hour of affordable after school care with an hour of tuition for as many as a whole class , drop in sessions that cost a couple of pounds with music students. Then there are toy swaps, things like that. Every little helps.

Also adding, a mortgage is a massive fixed cost. Impossible to cut back on if you've already committed to the house and your kids are in school.

They'll be in a better position when things improve though. Houses in naice areas hold their value better and kids are in good schools even though they lack extra curriculars. It's not a race to the bottom but I wouldn't feel too sorry for them. Their parents choose the house and presumably school over the other stuff.

Thank you. This is my point. The cost of living is affecting so many more children now. As you said overheads have increased, I said above my kids activities have had to increase it's fees in order to keep going.. It's the whole chain of others directly affected if kids have to drop their extracurriculars.. Also community centers lose out & may close if clubs can no longer afford to run.. The local shop where the kids spend their pound afterwards & their parebt (always me) buys an emergency 2 litres of milk for the mornings... It's a chain reaction, a knock on effect..

They were usually in at 7 for the night after said activities

This sounds a wonderful iniative, is it led by the PTA or the school itself?

And now MC parents can't afford to take their tiny children to their hobbies and so they turf them out on the street - clearly the only other available option.

Totally buying it.

@ByMerryKoala that is my observation. Buy what you want!