Sunday Times article about working women by India Knight.........

[ssd]

Did you read it and if you did what did you think?

FWIW I agree with her, will probably be stoned now.

YeS! Just where are her children/child whilst she writes these articles?

they are probably watching cbeebies

Because of course that's better than a stimulating nursery environment!

But be careful lets not start a debate on TV watching.

oh go on - watching tv is much worse than dd's nursery!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you think the lovely (or not) Ms. India is a MNer?

expecting
no I did not think it was directed at me, of course.
I was rather taking issue with your statement that "some of us do not have wealthy husbands and therefore we have to work full time" (my emphasis) which is a rather sweeping statement I think.
I am sorry if you thought I got personal, that wasn't my intention, I was just making the point that the "therefore" was an erroneous conclusion. and I used the word blinkered because that was the word that you used - and I was just saying that you, too, might have your own prejudices. that we are all supported by our husbands, for example. we are not necessarily.
my apologies if I offended you in anyway though.
(btw I don't love them I only carry them )

okay, seeing how we are wind through a variety of topics, can we discuss the housing prices now?

Message withdrawn

Oh yes - ours are extortionate - over £375K for a 3 bedroomed place - garage but no off-road parking.....

I had a 2-bed victorian semi - so quite small - they're now selling at £240K....

sorry

and not to add fuel to the fire

but there is no way non nursery attenders have higher stress levels

I just cannot imagine why that would be?

I've just sold my 3 bed semi (on fast road) for 265K

my four bedroom cottage has just been valued at £500,000

As far as the cortisol study goes, the one that was widely quoted in the press towards the end of last year hasn't been published yet, so it is hard to see how anyone can familiarise themselves with it, dexter. It is known that there was no control group though, and that only babies starting nursery for the first time between 11 and 22 months were studied. It would be interesting to compare the results in a group who had started before separation anxiety kicked in, I think.

5 bed detached just at the end of road sold in 4 weeks - for £725!!!!!! Who on earth can afford that kind of money - working full-time or not!!

Sounds like a bit of a bargain actually

oh oh, interesting tamum because I think kids who go to childminder/nursery/nanny at say 3 months old benefit from skipping that whole first day at nursery trauma. My friends have a terribly time with the first couple weeks (bad for them and the kids -- more so for them). My kids have never experience this sudden loss of mum.

Enid I think the study Norms refers to suggested that some children, who had parents with high levels of stress for whatever reason, did better at nursery.

I agree with Harpsichordcarrier that these studies are useful in policy terms but you cannot use them to make decisions in your own life when other factors will also be important - availability of childminders, ability to afford nanny etc. These surveys should be informing the development of childcare provision, not used as a stick with which to beat parents who work.

Yeah, my housing problem is that I aquired a husband, two kids and a nanny. So as a first time buyer in mid-late 3os I can't possibly afford anything I want to live in. So I'm banking on free school and reduced childcare costs to hopefully buy my first house in my 40s. I wonder how common this is. Am I the only idiot who got this far in life before he/she bought a piece of property.

I do think about leaving the UK. I like it here but I just can't bearing having nothing for the rest of my life.

Message withdrawn

no control group? hmmmmmm.

mine were in nursery at 7 mths, well before separation anxiety.

we'll probably get £270k+ for our 2 bed garden flat, if we're lucky. but the jump to a house where we live is completely un-doable (£480k for terraced 3 ish beds)

i chose my return to work date specifically to get the maximum time before separation anxiety set in...

slightly off at a tangent - i think 12m is actually a silly amount of time to have off as mat leave, because it doesn't really correspond to any particular developmental stage. imo, it would be better to have 8 - 9m better funded or 2 yrs (doubt 2yrs would fly).

Noooo... surely separation anxiety is before 7 months. Is it not? I would have thought around 5 or 6 months. My longer maternity leave was 3 months. So, I guess I could offer my kids up for the study.

Of course children can be stressed at home too. I think someone further down on this thread mentioned home environment. Of course if you don't really like being a SAHM and feel frustrated and unhappy, it will affect your children. The other way around too of course. Personally I want to work fulltime and I am always dying to get back to work after mat leave ends. I think working makes me a much better mum for my children. It would be cruel to inflict spending all day at home with me on my children. Poor things.

By the way . I am sure IK has said she put her first baby in nursery from 3 months.

Seperation anxiety is a year. Although in some ways it's a good age to start them as they are walking and beginning to talk.