If Parents were in charge of children’s welfare post pandemic

[WonderingFree]

I can’t sleep so thinking about how Post pandemic it would be fantastic for parents to be in charge of children and young people’s well-being and recovery. We know how it’s impacting our children. Of course we would have access to the magic money tree that we thought didn’t exist but actually does.

My decrees would be:

A radical overhaul of the school dinners system. All meals would be high nutrition, free to all kids throughout their education (ie up to 18) all processed food, vending machines in schools/colleges would be banned. Food would be mega high quality with fresh fruit Smoothies for morning snack, delicious and nutritious lunches and access to vitamin supplements in winter.

Fantastic after school activity focussed on PE for physical well-being and recognising our kids have been cooped up for soooooooo long; arts and creativity for emotional and mental well-being and loads of team activities.

Free weekend access to local amenities like cinema, youth theatres and swimming; plus free annual passes to nearest family attraction.

High streets rejuvenated by converting use of empty shops as children and young peoples spaces, offering alternatives to shopping like gaming, coding, music production and other such fab events that kids would like.

Overhaul of parks to increase provision for play areas for children, outdoor gyms and nighttime teenage safe zones in parks.

Over to you...

A radical overhaul of the school dinners system. All meals would be high nutrition, free to all kids throughout their education (ie up to 18) all processed food, vending machines in schools/colleges would be banned. Food would be mega high quality with fresh fruit Smoothies for morning snack, delicious and nutritious lunches and access to vitamin supplements in winter.

How utterly joyless, does nothing to teach about a balanced diet (no you can’t buy a bar of chocolate in your lunch break, here’s a healthy smoothie ) and removes responsibility from parents to feed their kids even further.

Your whole OP is based on some kind of middle class idea of how children should be raised, no account for diversity, poverty or people who simply make different choices to you. My kids wouldn’t want a smoothie at the best of times and certainly not at school. They eat a varied diet but there are some days they have processed food or god forbid some sweets.

Under your proposal the kids that do well would continue to do well, the ones that struggle would struggle even more. Has always been thus.

I do think that school meals, and a breakfast, should be free until they leave college. And an hour for lunch. Not rushing through a canteen.

I got it op. The mn audience are disproportionately well off so all the enriching stuff to them is totally normal and they can afford it. God forbid the plebs were allowed nice things and opportunities too.

That sounds brilliant!

I don’t have anything to add but would happily take your ideas on board- shame we don’t have a money tree though

@TrustTheGeneGenie

I got it op. The mn audience are disproportionately well off so all the enriching stuff to them is totally normal and they can afford it. God forbid the plebs were allowed nice things and opportunities too.

Totally agree.

Can I add to the list, doing something about housing costs and a better minimum wage? This would give parents more time to spend with their children.

I love the idea of every school child having a free, healthy, good quality meal at lunchtime. I think they do this in France.

When we know good nutrition contributes to good learning/ concentration it's simply a good investment in the future of the country.

I agree with changing schools to be less pressured, and I think a better trained -adult to child ratio at school/ youth clubs / Libraries, with a focus on the children's well being not pure crowd control, and funding for equipment such as raspberry pi stuff etc would make more difference than free tickets to local attractions.

@TrustTheGeneGenie

I got it op. The mn audience are disproportionately well off so all the enriching stuff to them is totally normal and they can afford it. God forbid the plebs were allowed nice things and opportunities too.

I’m anything but well off. But most of what the OP proposes will disproportionately benefit the well off rather than being targeted support for those who need it.

Lovely and who is going to pay for all these things?

Children's Centres were a great step at being a leveller for young families and it was a social folly to slash the funding. Likewise community facilities such as libraries. Stimulating play areas in public spaces for multi age groups.

Right now my children are 100% dependent on me and DH. They are socially isolated and under exercised because the way that the home schopling has been structured means that I can't get them outside in any meaningful way during daylight (or I neglect them, get aggro from school and they fall behind) . I can't meet 100% of their needs because I'm a 40 year old woman and some of those needs need to be met by physical contact with other 7/ 10 year olds. There is a reason for saying it takes a village to raise a child.

Children's Centres were a bit of a con. The services all existed before, but dotted round clinics, community centres, church halls etc.

The dedicated buildings were new, and of course convenient, but the services weren't, and many reverted to the venues they had used before.

These are available, always have been (except school lunches, mine had packed) I paid for them. What you mean is parents do not take responsibility for their kids and expect us to pay.

Outside of the school day, most kids benefit from having parents doing things with them, the wish list seems to be about kids not being with their parents hardly ever (except free trips to amusement parks or wherever , hardly educational!). Buy a National trust membership - £120 fir the year far better than "family attractions" my kids bought their own young person one once they got too old for the family one!

The country is/will be in the biggest recession ever after all this. Things will be even worse. I’m not sure where you think all the money will come from to pay for all that!

It is all very well saying 'who is going to pay for it' , but overall if we don't pay for anything to support the development of children, what sort of society are we? We pay tax, then complain like mad because someone gets food for a child or paid a wage for being a public servant. Where would we be now without low paid people who keep the food supply going, medical staff, police, firemen and the army? If most of us paid no tax we could not afford the services we get from the state in normal times, let alone now. Most of us earn money because we have jobs we got based on education paid for by the state, and the vaccines were developed by people also educated by the same state. The money goes round and round, but the benefits accrue for the individual and the society we all live in - and I think quality of life for the people who will run the society we will be old in might be worth a bit of investment!

But if we are going to invest in the young people of the country - which is obviously very much needed - then it shouldn’t be on free day out for all children.

It should be focused spending to meet the needs of individuals and local communities. The suggestions from the OP aren’t ones that are going to help level up society.

No, I was just thinking about it again, and you'd need free bus travel to get to our local attraction that needs tickets for a lot of people who live near me. It is educational, though, and part of the heritage of the people who can't afford to get to it. I would love to root and branch reform how education is delivered in this country, but that is more than I can squeeze into a comment! Whoever posted about education first in this thread summed it up well though, I thought. I think the OP's heart is in the right place, but I have read many, many comments coming down on spending public money on children, not just here. I find it sad.

Aren't parents already in charge of their children's wellbeing? Your plan sounds great for parents who never want to see their children.
School all day
After school activities
Out on evenings and weekends

All the currently unemployed could be employed in childcare. All parents could work longer hours to pay for all of this and spend time with their partners every weekend while the kids are are at the cinema, swimming and at Alton Towers.

So children have a life of fun and parents hardly see them. Marvellous. Not sure I'd bother going through the pain of childbirth to not really be that involved in my kids lives but it could work for some.

Wow, what a load of sour responses to an exercise in blue sky thinking!

I agree with a lot of what you say OP. I also think repurposing the high street to make space for teens would be hugely beneficial to society as a whole.

In terms of who pays? The same people who pay for everything we deem to be a social good- the tax payer. Ie us. It benefits the whole of society if young people are valued and well prepared for adulthood. And none of this precludes public spending on other things, eg elderly care.

I agree with some of what you propose. We do need to 'invest' more in children.

I'd like to see some kind of funding for extra sports and things for fitness and wellbeing. Lunches also great idea.

Personally I'm not at all convinced about free stuff like day trips.

I'd much rather investment in health, making schools the best they can be, smaller classes, emphasis on health.

Can I add to the list, doing something about housing costs and a better minimum wage? This would give parents more time to spend with their children.
How would kids find the time to be with their parents? 😂

I’d ask young people what they actually want.

I got it op. The mn audience are disproportionately well off so all the enriching stuff to them is totally normal and they can afford it. God forbid the plebs were allowed nice things and opportunities too.

It’s not about “plebs” not being allowed nice things or opportunities. It’s about making sure basic needs of secure, warm, safe housing, decent food, warm clothing are in place before we drag poor kids through stately homes. If we meet those basic needs consistently, in a way that promotes dignity and choice those “plebs” will be able to have nice things and opportunities.

At the moment we can’t even feed our children much less provide enrichment activities. You’re pouring water into a jokey bucket.

leaky bucket