Inequality is widening even in middle class children

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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?

Is it a race to the bottom, so the sneerers can sneer "it's Awful that the middles classes are having to shoot the polo pony but those on benefits are having to eat their youngest child".
Everyone is suffering, and some people suffering is less dramatic or healthy damaging.
As much as it is judgemental to say "if the poor are not eating properly and sitting in the cold- are the watching giant screen TVs, smoking and drinking?" It is equally judgemental to judge other demographics.

But it doesn't follow that they want to swim.
Such forced lessons will be hell for those children

Do parents not teach their children to swim these days? Totally disagree that the state/taxpayer should be responsible for teaching children a life skill like swimming - what next, will the state be expected to pay for teaching babies how to walk or use a potty?

I think you’re getting a bit jumped on here because of using ‘class’. But essentially if what you’re saying is that sports (football and judo not horse riding and polo) are becoming unaffordable for a large proportion of children then I do think that’s both sad and worrying. Making something like playing a sport a ‘luxury’ is going to have a far wider impact on society then kids having to play out. I actually think playing out can be really good for kids, but so is participating in sports and activities.

Kids have been playing out since 9pm? Why are they only sent out at 9pm? Shouldn't they be in bed? Especially seeing as you say some are as old as 4, so presumably the others are all under the age of 4?! Confusing post.

In answer to your user name...
One can never have enough cats!
But don't let that Vance bloke in america know, he doesn't like women with cats.

It still doesn't help all children. The nearest pool to my brothers is 30 miles away, my nieces & nephews did swimming theory in school but never dipped a toe in the water. It's like that for many schools in rural areas.
Others many have a pool a distance away but cannot get slots for the school as there as so many schools in the area.
The govt could help by increasing the amount of public pools in all areas (private leisure centres don't count) & providing vouchers to children to access free lessons if the school cannot facilitate in person lessons.

There have always been inequalities among MC children. I can certainly remember decades ago cases of nice house, even school fees (when they were relatively considerably more affordable) but money for extras always being extremely tight. At various times I for one was very envious of my private school friends who were allowed ballet or riding lessons - and I wasn’t alone.

Dh’s family was very similar - 4-child family skint-ness was one of the things we had in common when we first met!

How will free swimming will help the widening mc poverty gap, the original point of your post?
Swimming pools, lidos, etc, over the years, have closed due to falling numbers. Kids not interested

I swim at the local leisure centre, annoyingly the time that suits me best is when I'm sqished in the one lane as the rest of the pool has been taken over by swimming lessons. The numbers have dropped off, even for the council run lessons, noticeably over the past 6 months.

We as a family have been long associated with a local rugby club, going back to when my GFather played. DH plays/coaches. DC play.
Numbers are dropping like flies across all sections as people can't afford the what appear pretty reasonable club fees (£13 p/m) but for a family or a few kids it adds up. We are prioritising it, but definitely have cut back elsewhere to keep going.
But the club is on its knees and unless a miracle happens soon it probably will have to close after 120 years of being a working class grass roots club, which is really sad.

That's irresponsible parenting, and nothing to do with whether or not they prioritise spending their money on karate lessons.

Just a point about scouts. My son attends, he loves it. Our branch always had a huge waiting list, that isn't the case now especially for cubs. My sons friend applied for a place in June & was offered a place in September. This branch used have a waiting list of a couple of years. Many beavers decided not to move up this year & also the annual membership has risen due to the overheads of running the den, increased electricity, maintenance costs etc..

I remember this sort of thing in the 1980s during the days of chinny reckon.

Are you American, OP? Just curious because of some of your wording.

I think PP is referring to a very specific type of buyer profile.
In March 2019, the BoE cut interest rates to a record low. It was glaringly obvious that they'd go up. Maybe not to the extent they have, as before that it was still 1%. 0.1% to the previous 0.5 - 0.75

However, there were many people on those threads who clearly couldn't afford even a 0.5% increase based on the plans they were making. Not only were they on the cusp of affordability with the extremely low rate, they also had plans for more children, extensions, and a myriad of other things.

Of course if they could afford it all no need to post asking whether it was a good idea.

The sentiment from other posters was very much to plough ahead without thinking. It was a crazy time for housebuying in general. Things were going for crazy prices, crap that would've languished for months if sold now , flew off the shelves.

There's something called animal spirits in the investment world that relates to the phenomenon. People get caught up and make irrational decisions fearing they'll lose out.

I feel sorry for people who planned ahead and found themselves hit with an unexpected rate rise like this. But many didn't expect even a small one. And many took the risk - thinking the economy would recover, they'd get higher paid jobs etc to cover. Or SAHM return to work. It just never happend.

We were trying to buy at that time but stopped after 3 purchases fell through. We finally bought a year ago. I was distraught at first - we'd lost out on some dream houses. But in hindsight, it might not have been a bad thing. Our budget is stress tested to the hilt due to the experience. We might not be in the area with the best schools but if we can't move by the time the kids start, we'll be able to afford private tutoring etc.

The naice house in the naice MC area is close to 100K more than ours. And while our area is the 'nice' bit of a deprived area it's definitely not MC. There are people with expensive sport cars also work vans.

😀
To quote Mitt Romney, "I don't know that I can disrespect someone more than JD Vance"

I think the activities themselves are inexpensive as in the membership fees & subs which have increased . My sons football team didn't get a sponsor (first time ever a local business hasn't sponsored their age group, other age groups also not sponsored) so the kit is expensive, the match travel is expensive as matches are further away & a couple involved overnights. Although membership & subs are inexpensive they have increased also. Very grateful to the volunteers who are wonderful with the kids but I do understand why parents are cutting back & I do find it sad.

The tide of poverty is rising and engulfing more and more people. We would be classed as the 1% but our standard living has dropped massively. Trading down brands, more supermarket own label products, unplugging appliances, not going out to eat as often, complaining about the cost of pet food etc, adding beans to curry’s etc to make the meat stretch.

This isn’t a woe is me post, just recognition of what the OP is saying. People are feeling the pinch right now.

God forbid felicity and Felix can't go to lacrosse and badminton class and have to play outside like like .... THE PEASANTRY 😭😭

I like Mitt!!

Crying here

Exactly. And it will cause even greater inequality with children, I don't see why people don't get this..

People rarelu 'risk assess' or make contingency plans when it comes to major financial decisions, which is completely insane.
It is often a paper-thin line between what you can afford and what wiill cause you to crash and burn
The mortgage increase in the 80s crippled so many, yet no-one seems to learn lessons from the past
There should be an exam before anyone gets a mortgage or loan!

Actually I fully support funded lessons from an early age. We are island and it is imperative that everyone should be able to swim and finances shouldn't stop that. I take my seven year old swimming and it is nearly £10 each time. Think of the bigger picture.

Also just to say for those sneeering if the situation escalates in the middle east any further it will have dire consequences for all children.. Heating oil, petrol, food availability will all be affected through scarcity & price hikes..