Wife swap

[Tinker]

Well? What do we think?

Sobernow

Maybe we are.

LOL

Did anyone read the Daily Mail's version of Wife Swap this morning. Some really funny quotes like:

'Frankly once you're married with children, the days of worrying what you look like are over'.

And

'Clothes, after all all, are just a luxury'

They were very nasty to each other. Worth a read.

sorry, bells2, but why is it acceptable for your dh to work long hours but not mo1?

another comment not directed at anyone in particular but so what if she is a secretary? are women only allowed to value their jobs if they have one which is deemed sufficiently middle class? perhaps she has qualifications she worked hard to earn, perhaps she takes pride in a job well done, perhaps she values her independence and ability to earn? perhaps she merely wants to have a reasonable amount to live on after she retires.

a lot of comments around the fact that she could get a job nearer home with a shorter commute. how do we know that? was it in the program?

i think people must be crazy to go on programs like these...

Darn, should have been working in London!

Unfortunately up here in Scotland you can get about £15k in Edinburgh/Glasgow, but mainly short-term contracts with agencies and in my last job with a local firm I was on about £9.5k pro rata as I was part-time. Yes there are opportunities out there to become para-legals but personally have found that mainly this is just used as a carrot.

Obviously everyone to their own. I did have notions at first to go 'all the way' and become a solicitor, very much encouraged by my boss at the time who seemed to think I could do it, but for me life took it's turns away from that direction. I have to say now I am very glad as at least it was an option to give up work. I think with a solicitor's salary coming into the house that would not be such an easy choice. Also I have etched in my mind a (IMO) very bad example of a female solicitor with three kids who worked all the hours, she used to have blackouts etc, looked awful.

As for the MO1, certainly it was her choice, but I have seen women return to being legal secretaries after breaks of 8 or 9 years to have children and they have been very much valued by firms and don't seem to have much problem picking it up again and I would imagine if they were keen and their firm was keen could then go on and study to be para-legals. Not that I am saying that this is necessarily what the MO1 should have done but she did look unhappy.

Bugsy, Mo1 works in Manchester.

Incidentally Mo1 and Do1 are thinking of packing it all in to go and live in Greece, according to our local paper!

I do agree that we shouldn't be snobbish about her career but...the commute from Stoke to Manchester is over 100 miles, round trip. Petrol money alone would be £30 to £40 per week? Nearly £2000 pa. The childcare (and I'm making an assumption here) but I'm guesssing she would pay for what was considered a 'good' nursery, would be £500 to £600 per month, £6000 to £7200 pa. So possibly £9000 pa from a £18000 to £20000 salary seems a lot for the exhaustion and, for her, the guilt.

Personally (and this IS only my personal view), but, not being someone overly burdened with a work ethic, I think those kind of hours are crazy for ANY job, with or without kids. She may get a buzz out of it.

The web chat on the C4 site revealed that Kate actually has a job anyway (youth worker) so is not anti working mothers plus she enjoyed the socail life of Tracey's job. Maybe she just din't want to give up her adult identity adn recognised in herself that she wasn't that enamoured with the staying at home bit. For someone who 'appeared' quite uptight, I would think that would be a very difficult switch. But agree with whoever said she may have had more viewer understanding if she had been open about that instead of trying to justify that it was for Lottie to have a beautiful home etc. Kids don't really care about beautiful homes, I don't think. Well, at least I hope they don't!

They'll have to do Place in the Sun first!

lol, sobernow!

I want to swap my dh for someone who doesn't shout 'no, no, noooo....I'm not watching THAT'! everytime Wife Swap comes on. I've not seen any of it and IT'S NOT FAIR! I think I'm sending him to his room. I work part time and so, in practise, does dh (he runs his own office so can pretty much come and go as he pleases so is home by six every night and I have a lie in until 8.30 or so every other day. What I love about working from home is that I used to be late for work every single day, but now I never am, because all I have to do is go downstairs in my dressing gown. So glad nobody's had to see that on TV

bells, i think my previous post sounds rather harsh. sorry.

the point i am trying to make is that if we say that parents working long hours is not good for children/family life, then that concept should apply irrespective of:

1. the gender of the parent
2. the "status" of the parent's occupation.

maybe i will start watching this after all!

can I swap my husband for one who doesn't mind having wife swap on tv? must get my head round video taping, it's either that or divorce (joke).

Does anyone's husband like Wife Swap? DH was so appalled by the first two programmes that out of a mistaken sense of fairness I didn't see the one this week, and it sounds like I missed the best one! Rats!!

Tinker, that was my point exactly, however I was comparing her salary to my own (albeit 4 years ago) and figured that she would have close to nothing left!

As for going to Greece, yes I would do that given half the chance and I hope it works out well for them!

I have a DH who actually likes this programme!!! Any offers???

yes, pamina, i do that one too! am also the main earner...

bk, agree with your 10.52am post.

Mmmm, Pamina, rather fear I agree with you on society's views, and this despite the fact I am not the main earner (albeit the more regular one), nor even the most driven one work-wise in our partnership.

Am constantly impressed by my dh's complete committment to child rearing (and find his shock that other men don't consider they should compromise their career/working hours/working style when a baby comes along very lovely. Certainly the only man I know who took off 5 months paternity leave, automatically assumes it will be him taking dd to doctor, etc).

No one comes up to me in cafes and tells me what a great job I'm doing as a mother, whereas they do that to him all the time.

However, don't agree that wife swap is all about showing an equal partnership as abnormal. What about Carol? (carol! Carol! CAROL!). She was definitely the 'normal' one and her husband did everything round the house. In fact even some mumsnetters have been a bit rude about her below...