LATEST MOAN FROM YOU AND ME - 2022

Coward.
Or is it?.

 

I do. When we left UK 15 years ago, the verified statistic for Northants was one third of all births recorded were to single mothers under 18. Unless it's changed drastically in that time, it's a scary scenario!

 

As I remember it, the organism charged with doing it was totally inefficient and cost the state far more than they ever succeeded in acquiring on behalf of the lone parent. After all, if the runaway Dad is on benefits, who is ultimately going to pay? Don't need three guesses!

 

My friend Pam told me that her son left school and managed to get his GP to sign him as unfit to work because of a bad back. He has gone through to retirement without doing a days work.

Funny as he was able to go bait digging, fishing and be a member of a punk band.

 

Times have changed drastically. I never got help financially because my ex, now dead, could afford lawyers and I couldn't. As @pete says, daycare is now not inexpensive. But at my time it was child minding. Not having to supply complicated psychological accommodations and high priced staff. Just mind the kids. Just make sure they're clean, fed and safe! God bless those practical times.

My sons are well adjusted men who have a great deal of common sense. They are responsible hard workers.

Not at all like these bubble wrapped children of today.

Or the opposite end. Parents on the dole, and pass on the family finess of leaching from the public teat for following generations. Totally shameful.

Sad times.

 

It's just another Tory cull of the poor and those that aren't contributing significantly to the tax coffers any more. They tried the bedroom tax, they put covid patients back into nursing homes, and now they reject the idea of windfall taxes on energy companies knowing that many won't get through winter. Oh and they ditched the triple lock on state pension.

It's the law of averages. Get rid of enough poor people and the average national wealth goes up.

 

Far too many old people still hanging around.

 

I worked in Childcare for 25 yrs until a couple of years ago. I use to then ..and still do today get annoyed at people complaining at it's cost!!

I self funded myself for 3yrs at college ( to gain Early Years Childcare and Education qualifications to the level that I could, if I wished, open my own Nursery ) after having our 3rd child.....it was hard work ( albeit I had hubs) to raise 3 little ones 4yrs ,19 mths and 5 mths, and study all in the midst of major house renovations .....but it you need the money then you just have to find a way and cope.

I use to get parents complaining when occasionally I had to raise my fees, one in particular I remember all too well ..they both had very good jobs ,top of the range cars etc. She quipped to me that 'it was different when mine were young, as they had a morgage...so she had to work'!!!
I informed her that do did we and our house needed renovating to make it a safe and homely environment for our children.
I also reminded her that parents nowadays are very fortunate as they all get help from the government to ease costs...which certainly wasn't around when ours were small. Then ( a couple of years ago 2018, not sure now) all children over 3 could attend pre-school ..free for around 15 hours (I think) per week . We had to pay for all 3 of ours. They also received so many hours a week of subsidised child care for their 'under 5's too. Once at school all primary children received free school dinners..had to pay for ours....the only time we were entitled was when hubs was made redundant, but I still provided all 3 with a packed lunch.

My fees by the way were £3.25 an hour....which was about average back then.
What also has to be remembered is that if parents select a home based childcare placement ( in my opinion ,still the best for babies 3mths+) then the care provider by law cannot have more that 3 pre school children in their care at any one given time. So that made my earnings only £9.75 per hour....
while most of ' my parents ' we're getting financial help with their £3.25 per hour ' high cost childcare fees' . It's just laughable. Parents seem to want it all..children, holidays, designer clothes ( for their children too) two cars..but what !!!!.....pay for childcare!!!

 

Those who are pushing for net zero emissions openly admit reducing our energy consumption is integral if governments are to meet their targets, skyrocketing prices will contribute considerably to that.

Let’s Come Clean: The Renewable Energy Transition Will Be Expensive (columbia.edu)

 

Well done Lori.....hat off to you,. You should write a book/ do talks as you would be an inspiration to many young parents, single or not.
The world needs more like you.

 

Thank you @Upsydaisy but when I think about it, it was easy because simply because I was young. When my oldest reached 12 years of age and was legally allowed to watch over his (18 months) younger brother, I went back to uni at night. That then enabled me to move up the corporate ladder and make enough money to buy my own home. Just a matter of being organized. Nothing spectacular.

The only thing I missed out on in those younger years was getting into gardening and baking and sewing and ... So now I'm working on that too!

 

Well let's break down what I said.

First I mentioned the bedroom tax, which has become the widely used nickname for a cut in benefits based on the number of bedrooms in a benefits claimant's house. As it was a benefits cut, it is unlikely that the benefits claimant's it directly affected were making a significant net positive financial contribution.

Next I mentioned the release of covid patients into nursing homes. People in nursing homes have made their net positive financial contribution in the past, but are no longer able to work.

Next I mentioned runaway energy costs and the government's unwillingness to use tools available to them to help curb it. For households with above average income, this is going to be difficult but manageable. The people that are most at risk are those unable to work. Pensioners and disabled people.

There will be no significant impact on the pool of people able to provide cheap labour.

One more thing to consider, when covid lockdowns started to ease, bingo halls were allowed to reopen long before gyms were allowed to reopen. While I know that young, fit, in work people play bingo, and pensioners use gyms, it's pretty clear that you'll find more retired people in a bingo hall, and more younger, fit, working age people in a gym.