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

That's not strictly true. My son goes to a SureStart nursery for his free 12.5 hours, and I live in an affluent area.

It depends where they are placed, but the ethos that they are there to serve lowly paid people is a myth.

Actually, they're a Godsend. They're brilliant, and so much cheaper than the alternatives.

Believe me, it is much patronized by the middle-classes!

It is programmes, isn't it? It's getting late and I'm losing my grip on the English language...

Yes it is, darling.

damn!!! I should go to bed.

agree, desi. Surestart was intended to reach out to deprived mothers, but it is middle class mothers who are using the facilities - same in my area.

Franca, I did not grow up in the UK. I too don't get the enthusiasm for early learning, especially when the country I was educated trumps the UK in terms of literacy and numeracy. But I accept that the UK is less homogenous with a greater gap between rich and poor to address.

harpsi, i totally agree with you.

Yes, the wide gap between rich and poor is a big problem in the UK. Also here in Italy, apparently it has got wider in the last 20 yrs .
Where are you from Blueshoes?

Singapore

Oh wow. Never been to that part of the world , I'd love to go.

Franca, I thoroughly recommend South East Asia. It is a world away from Europe. You could get quite spoilt out there

I'd love to visit south east Asia, as dh has been going on and on that the children are now ready for more adventurous holidays ( not sure if I'm prepared for more adventurous holidays with our children), I could try to propose it as our new holiday destination...