Last week two bloggers had a conversation on Twitter about childcare. It was started by Ellen who asked opinions about the plans for a National Parenting Strategy. The following tweets caught my attention:
I jumped in to support grandmothers because I know many parents would much rather have their own parents look after their children, when the necessity arises, rather than put them into a nursery.
Alison joined the conversation giving high praise to help provided to her childcare problems by her great grandparents.
Caron seemed shocked that I suggested mothers (or fathers) should look after their children full-time.
Caron and Ellen are intelligent women and mothers who have no doubt about what childcare facilities should be available for parents today. My question is should the taxpayer be paying for three and four year olds to attend a nursery for more than the current 475 hours a year? Can the country afford it without it being means tested?
Norway's childcare system is often held up as a prime example of excellent provision but unless we pay higher taxes will cannot fund similar care provision. Also, 'free' childcare in Norway is only given to single-parents after a thorough means test. Even after acceptance the parent must pay 30% of the cost.
Women welcomed the invention of the Pill some forty years ago. It was possibly the biggest breakthrough in female society for generations. The intention was that women could now safely plan their families and not leave conception to chance. At the time it was hoped it would reduce unwanted pregnancies and give women the opportunity to be successful in a career before they decided to have children. It's so much easier to return to a career which was a success.
Caron says 'nobody ever suggests men should give up their careers'. Oh yes they have. Women have been arguing this for generations with no success and that's simply because women physically give birth and give the initial nurturing.
As for work being more flexible - how about parents being more flexible? It's always the employer who is criticised. Employers have the upper hard where work is concerned; he who pays the piper and all that. Paid employment is available in the UK 24 hours a day and certain vocations operate on a 24 hour system - the biggest being the NHS. I set up my own tiny business when I was in desperate need of extra money and structured it around my family's needs. There's nothing more motivating than being broke and having a family who depend on you. My wee business was so successful I managed to sell it for a small sum after it had been operating for only 18 months.
I digress. Last week, in my post about the proposed National Parenting Strategy, I was ambivalent about the concept. Now I think it will be just another intrusion by the state into the lives of families. The success of National Family Centres has been well recorded and rather than introduce another overlapping tier into society, the money would be much better spent on the provision of more Family Centres for those parents who required assistance.
For those who manage to wind their way through the joys, trials and tribulations of parenthood my congratulations. Most of us get there eventually, as long as we remember our main aim is for our children to have better (not necessarily more) opportunities than we did in the 'dark ages'. The cost is accepting the responsibility for your children and not allowing the state to dictate your actions. They do too much of that already.
Caron says 'nobody ever suggests men should give up their careers'. Oh yes they have. Women have been arguing this for generations with no success and that's simply because women physically give birth and give the initial nurturing.
As for work being more flexible - how about parents being more flexible? It's always the employer who is criticised. Employers have the upper hard where work is concerned; he who pays the piper and all that. Paid employment is available in the UK 24 hours a day and certain vocations operate on a 24 hour system - the biggest being the NHS. I set up my own tiny business when I was in desperate need of extra money and structured it around my family's needs. There's nothing more motivating than being broke and having a family who depend on you. My wee business was so successful I managed to sell it for a small sum after it had been operating for only 18 months.
I digress. Last week, in my post about the proposed National Parenting Strategy, I was ambivalent about the concept. Now I think it will be just another intrusion by the state into the lives of families. The success of National Family Centres has been well recorded and rather than introduce another overlapping tier into society, the money would be much better spent on the provision of more Family Centres for those parents who required assistance.
For those who manage to wind their way through the joys, trials and tribulations of parenthood my congratulations. Most of us get there eventually, as long as we remember our main aim is for our children to have better (not necessarily more) opportunities than we did in the 'dark ages'. The cost is accepting the responsibility for your children and not allowing the state to dictate your actions. They do too much of that already.
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