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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Do we have a moral right to build snowmen with our families instead of going to work?

53 replies

lucyellensmumagain · 07/01/2010 12:58

I have just listened to a surreal argument on radio in which it was put forward that we have a moral right to stay home and play snowmen with our children instead of going to work? That it is far more important to do this than go and earn money?

The woman arguing against it didnt really put much of an argument forward for the other side really.

So, is it more important to just say - OMG snow, we might not get this for another five years i HAVE to stay home and make snow men?

Its not about that is it? If it is safe to go to work then yes, you should go - but if its not safe then no you shoudlnt have to go inm, if your childs school is closed then obviously you can't go in.

But it is important to take these opportunities with our kids isn't it? It doesnt happen very often?

But then what about the employers? Should they have to subsidise this - I rather feel that if you have time off in the snow then you shouldnt get paid, or you take annual leave. Easy for me i guess, im a SAHM - but really interested to hear other peoples points of view.

My DP is self employed and has gone into work today, but it was safe to do so (please God) He of course doesn't get paid if he doesnt go in, and it would piss his clients off.

I'm firmly on the fence

OP posts:

ChilloHippi · 07/01/2010 14:16

Everyone should be at home playing in the snow. Especially my DH who insisted on going into work

Haggisfish · 07/01/2010 14:18

I think people should take the opportunity to enjoy unexpected time together if the occasion arises (ie too dangerous to get into work). I don't think it is unreasonable to ask employers to pay for the odd day here or there - most people work very hard and will work hard to make the work up on their return to work.
I ver much enjoyed seeing all the families out on the field behind me, sledging and snowballing together - the whole community was out there, which is rare in chavsville where I live!

OtterInaSkoda · 07/01/2010 14:19

Everyone - including those without children - should have at least one day's paid leave to play in the snow per annum.

Haggisfish · 07/01/2010 14:20

My OH also insisted on going into work and has completely the opposite view to me - that people who don't make an effort to get in are parasites and shouldn't be paid at all! His ultimate derision, however, is reserved for teachers such as myself!

stickylittlefingers · 07/01/2010 14:29

what is life for, anyway? Depends on the life-or-deathness of your job, of course, but generally most things can wait a day or two.

Everytime people enjoy themselves rather than being wage slaves take some time off for some reason (world cup, England wins ashes, snow etc etc) we are told how Britain is losing how many millions and millions of pounds.

But whose money is being lost? And what is the total sum of happiness?

nickelbabe · 07/01/2010 14:39

i've opened my shop today even though it's snowing.
my oh got to go home at 9 o'clock because they didn't have any deliveried this morning and so only had a small amount of post to go out this morning (that arrived yesterday)
it's really unfair!

but, i have no choice really but to open, because it's my own livelihood.
i'm convinced i'm spending more money today being open than if i'd stayed shut (electric and part-timer's wages), but i've broken loads of cardboard boxes for recyclingand part-timer has uploaded loads of stuffo nto the website, so it hasn't been a wasted day.

sorry, my point is that if i'd got kids i wouldn't have bothered opening today at all. (i've had barely any customers; they're all too busy playing in the snow )

cumbria81 · 07/01/2010 14:42

Yes but you're all the first to coomplain when your post/Waitrose order etc isn't delivered.

The world does go on and needs people working in it to make it do so.

That said, I do love snow and think it's hugely important to make the most of it

ImSoNotTelling · 07/01/2010 14:46

Would we then have a moral duty to have unseasonably hot days off to go to the beach/open air swimming pools?

My view is that if people can't get to work, then they can't get to work. If you're ill you're ill, if the transport has stopped then the transport has stopped. I feel sorry that people have pay docked etc for something that is beyond their control.

stickylittlefingers · 07/01/2010 14:49

I don't, cumbria81 - growing up proper rural like, I can't not have stores to keep us going for at least a couple of weeks, including stuff I wouldn't need gas or elec for. The world only needs to go on as much as we want it to!

Dumbledoresgirl · 07/01/2010 14:53

I heard the debate too. I thought the woman made a good point when she asked the man how he would feel if he was out playing in the snow with his child, the child had an accident, he rang 999 and discovered all the paramedics were off work playing with their children too.

Of course it is nice to have an unscheduled day off to play in the snow, and snow does not come round that often, but to assert we have a moral right to that over getting to our paid employment and earning a living is just bloody stupid.

Indith · 07/01/2010 15:05

Stay home for how long? Has been going on since before Christmas here and could well go on for a fair bit longer. Should my dh stay home fore a month or so? He has been going in every day. He leaves early as it takes him 2 hours to get there and he gets home later than usual because instead of leaving work early he does a normal day. He does thins because he has a job. He is being paid to do that job. I rather think the moral duty should be to your employer, the children are not going to lose out financially if you don't make snowmen with them. Besides it isn't as though the snow has been magically melting at the weekends, there is time to enjoy it.

Of course if it would be dangerous to go in you shouldn't, or if your place of work is shut then you should enjoy the time off but not going in because it is a bit more difficult than usual is just daft.

CirrhosisByTheSea · 07/01/2010 15:11

"what is life for, anyway? Depends on the life-or-deathness of your job, of course, but generally most things can wait a day or two."

totally agree with you, sticky

what gets me is that when you watch the news, everything is said with a tone of doom and blame in the voice. They never ever focus on the good in a sitauation. There is no balance. It's as if everything that happens, happens because of someone's fault - local councils may run out of grit - well maybe that's because of absolutely extreme, once in a generation weather. We'd all be exclaiming over the waste if we found out that our council had stockpiled gazillions of gallons of grit 'because it may snow hard in thirty years'.......

Bathsheba · 07/01/2010 15:12

See, my problem is that everyone is saying "oh it only happens once every 30 years or so"..

Not where I live...In NE Scotland its every year, if not twice or 3 times every year. We've also had snow lying on the ground constantly since December 22nd - should everyone have been off sledging since then..?

CirrhosisByTheSea · 07/01/2010 15:14

I am talking about where I live btw - I'm 42 and have only had snow like this once before so I think it is a very different thing.

ImSoNotTelling · 07/01/2010 15:15

In NE scotland presumably they are better at clearing roads, gritting etc. And if not why not. As in that part of country it is clearly a necessity.

Bathsheba · 07/01/2010 15:21

They aren't..!! They are appalling at clearing the roads...!! They are even worse at clearing the pavements..!

We have had as many schools closed here as in other places in the country - the difference is that ours are closed at least once a year and often more often.

There are various councils in Scotland where they have completely run out of road grit.

Original poster

lucyellensmumagain · 07/01/2010 15:40

What i find quite amusing is - if we get a spattering of snow, everything shuts down - its like we only expect it to be around for a day so we have to make the most of it - now its dragging on people are making the effort to get into work - yep, thats it, we should all have ONE snow day but no more

OP posts:

ImSoNotTelling · 07/01/2010 16:28

bathsheba that is rubbish, it clearly should be something they have plans in place to deal with properly. In SE England where it is really rare it's one thing but NE Scotland...

You should arrange a big protest march to try and improve things.

Once the snow has cleared, obviously

Original poster

lucyellensmumagain · 07/01/2010 18:15

ah you see, im a soft southerner

OP posts:

ImSoNotTelling · 07/01/2010 18:21

In my book it should be there for one day. Big snow in evening after most people are home, gently falling in the glow of streetlights.

Wake up to snow covered wonder and whole country closed down and all have fab time.

Next day all gone and back to normal. I hate slippy ice and slush and all that shit.

blithedance · 07/01/2010 18:30

Well unfortunately I have a responsible job and a deadline on Monday. I can just see me telling the client and rest of the team that I needed to take a day off to build snowmen .

Last time I looked there were weekends for doing this kind of thing.

Really insensitive to people who don't have children too.

AliGrylls · 07/01/2010 18:39

Surely this is really an argument about spending time with your family not building snowmen.

Original poster

lucyellensmumagain · 07/01/2010 18:45

not my argument - i can see both sides! Not sure how it is insensitive to people without children, but clearly parents are more important

It is all a matter of priorities, like you say blithe, you have a deadline. I used to work in a vets, as part of a team so if one person doesnt go in it knocks everytning out of kilter. But then if you work in a factory shelling nuts - build the fecking snowman

There is always ifs and buts, but what i do think is unfair is to brand all those who have gone - fuck it, im having a day off as lazy - it is very dependent on circumstances. Maybe if blithe didnt have a deadline she might have been able to have a snow day.

OP posts:

potplant · 07/01/2010 18:54

I'd rather have a full day of to play at the beach in blistering sunshine!

Seriously if you want to take time off then take a day's leave or a day's unpaid. I don't see why an employer should pay for you to have some time with your family.

I'm a contractor and if I don't work I don't get paid. Puts the whole argument into persepctive when it costs you personally rather than your employer.

PeachyWillNeverVoteBNP · 07/01/2010 19:08

We have a moral duty not to taqke risksthat might kills us or harm us (and attending service people /other road users). So for that reason DH is home ytoday (from Uni, his work is done at home anyway).

So if you can stay home and the roads are even vaguely dicey you should. That doesn'tmean an employer should pay:we have vowe dwe will should dh'sbusiness ever get big enough to employ someone, but that our own priority.

And if you can get the time off,you do have a moralduty IMO to spend that with the kids,not sat playing on the Wii alone or at the pub.

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