to be annoyed at the leaflet telling me how happy my kids will be if i go back to work?

[neenztwinz]

I got this with my child benefit letter yesterday.

It is a leaflet about affordable childcare, and the pic on the front is a cartoon of some kids playing with a train and it says 'we play with trains, mum goes to work - whoo whoo!'.

It says to me: your kids will be happier if you go to work.

To be fair, I noticed on the back it has kids playing with musical instruments and it says 'we do music, dad goes to the office, rat a tat tat' so i think it is just some poor puns on trains and music rather than kids going 'way hey - mum's gone to work!!'

But I still think it is a bit

Lol Ormirian

hhmmmmm ...I love facials...when's my next birthday again...??

good one, OrmIrian!

orm, don't forget the nappy is suppose to be bulging and leaking poo too!

i really don't get the indignation and exasperated responses.if you are happy sahm what is the problemo.can you really not tolerate the mere mention of nursery

for some people ok maybe not some posters here it is a desirable and positive childcare option

judging by the oh my very god-ness some of cannot tolerate the mere mention of going back to work then

YANBU, I thought the same too. Also agree that I have no idea why the government thinks what I do all day is any of their business. Ilike the fact though that as a SAHM, I am not doing what they want but what I want. The leaflet sucked and made me cynical rather than convince me to get a paid job, I have enough to do thanks!

Who cares?
If you are happy at home, and feel confident you are doing the right thing for DC's, so what if anyone thinks otherwise?

BTW- my letter arrived today, after I posted here, but no leaflet was included.

Do you think they already know my children are in childcare so I didn't need the encouraging 'whoo whoo'?!

LOL @cupoftea

The government would prefer for as many people AS possible (including mothers) to work and pay tax thus generating more revenue for them to spend.

Government information is of course propoganda to try to make women work therefore they portray kids of working mothers to be the happiest.

In my view it is naive to think otherwise.

I agree Podrick.

I think it is hugely important to provide decent affordable childcare for parents who want/have to work. I think Nurseries and childminders, can be a great experience for children, which is how it should be.

What I find interesting is the fact that the government is trying to encourage as many women as possible to return to work as early as possible after having a child. They are doing this for the economic success of the country, and i think it would be good if a political party had policies that were for positive social change and for the wellbeing of people, rather than the wellbeing of business and the economy - I think it used to be the Labour party?!

Well said Hazeyjane and Podraig!

Hear Hear.

Podrick even

ok, bear with me as i'm going to sound like a lentil-weaving hippy here but the problem is not 'the government' - this government and every other mainstream party believes in free market economics (in fact, the conservatives believe even more in it).

Free market economics require everyone to be working, all the time, as much as possible and for as long as possible in order to create things or services and then earn the money to buy those things/services. This creates more profit for companies and their shareholders and keeps our economy growing.

I believe that we'd all (except the comapany directors and shareholders) be a lot happier if we didn't having a growing economy, making more and consuming more. If we all just worked enough to meet our basic needs we could all be spending more money on cultural pursuits, bringing up families and leisure. Free market economics - which pervades every mainstream political party in the western world - however will not allow this as it does not feed the interests of big business.

Oh god, i guess i am a lentil weaving hippy

excellent point fluffles,podders and hazey jane

Fluffles, if thinking that makes you a lentil weaving hippy, then I will stand up proudly wearing my handwoven, lentilly jumper (I am actually cooking lentils as I mumsnet - incredible but true!)

You very succinctly made a point that I think I was trying to make - thankyou

I'm not mad about free market economics either, but, people work a lot in socialist economies as well... I don't think they have much time to bake cakes with their toddlers.

And the countries, like the Scandinavian ones, that we admire for a better life/work balance offer wide, good quality and affordable childcare. Possibly to give you time to make the most of those cultural pursuits

I'm probably ridiculously naive but I think it would be really nice to have less choice as a consumer. Do we really need all this stuff? There's too much time spent buying things and not enough quality time spent doing stuff that's free IMO. Are we losing sight of the real value of life? Am I the only one who is tired of the constant 'bettering' of products? Why does it matter what size your TV is for example?
(Hhmm - going off topic but it's in response to the economy points made above)

Sasamaxx, all DH's money goes into a joint account which he doesn't access. I give him £25 a week 'spends' - about 0.5% of his actual salary. So yes, actually, he is economically dependent on me

Interesting point fluffles. I also do not agree with the pursuit of money for money's sake. Me and DH give away 10% of our income because we feel we have more than enough to meet basic needs and others in the world need it more.

In Scandanavia 75% of kids are in some sort of childcare but do their mothers really want to work or do they do it because it is too expensive not to? I have certainly heard it said on a radio phone-in that the affordable childcare situation in Sweden leads to mothers going out to work when they would rather be at home.
www.skolverket.se/sb/d/354/a/944

You have to take into account how much of corporate taxes and jobs which in turn creates more taxes, generated by free market economics, encapsulated in the City of London in particular (I know, not a great example in these times, but a fact), subsidises the rest of the country. It is possible that self-sustaining lentil weaving in itself not sufficient for our country's public services without tax generated from more profitable economic activities elsewhere.

Sorry it wasn't a phone-in, it was on FiveLive drive and it was an interview.

neenz: "I have certainly heard it said on a radio phone-in that the affordable childcare situation in Sweden leads to mothers going out to work when they would rather be at home."

Why is this a problem at all? No one is forcing mothers to go back to work. Are you suggesting that there should not be affordable childcare so that some women who don't need to work don't feel obliged to go back to work?

Neenztwinz - good - we should always be the ones in control