Kids from well off families beats my lot hands down.

JimmyTheWig

I'm not quite sure what you're saying.

Rich people can afford to do more than poorer people? Well, yes that's true.
You live in the Highlands and can only afford for your daughter to do two regular activities? We're in a London borough and do ok for money, but we can't afford multiple regular activities for the kids.
Your son is disabled so has fewer choices? Again, not a lot you can do about that. Do you get some kind of benefits for him being disabled?

I don't get what's new in what you're saying. Or is this the first time you've realised there's a difference between the opportunities of rich and poor?


Or are you here asking what cheap / free activities you can do?
I think there's plenty. We certainly don't have the time to do all the free stuff we'd like to do.
Library, baking, outdoor activities, cooking, arts and crafts, excercise, learning, singing and dancing.
My kids are significantly younger than yours so some of my suggestions may not fit - but I'm sure there's plenty for you to do.

aliasojo

bestpud wrote: »

I think you'd be surprised how many families don't do these things! That isn't about money, or lack of, imo.

I see what you are saying, but I would argue, if it were a choice between having rich parents who buy loads of things but hardly spent any time with their children, or the life your children have, then it is actually your children who win hands down!

I agree with you (and thank you...I think )...but this isn't that choice.

My lot HAVE me. I've done the support and the 'giving time' thing till I'm blue in the face.

I just think in this case, less is not more. IYSWIM. They would benefit from new things.

Edinburghlass_2

I hear you aliasojo, and understand.

bestpud

aliasojo wrote: »

I agree with you (and thank you...I think )...but this isn't that choice.

My lot HAVE me. I've done the support and the 'giving time' thing till I'm blue in the face.

I just think in this case, less is not more. IYSWIM. They would benefit from new things.

Yes, I know what you mean - you'd prefer to do both (as I guess most parents would). I fully understand that.

I was just saying that, seeing as though most of us can't do both, the time one if preferable to the money one iyswim?

aliasojo

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

I'm not quite sure what you're saying.

Neither am I now...kinda wished I'd mulled this over to myself quietly instead. :rotfl:

Rich people can afford to do more than poorer people?

Yes.

Well, yes that's true.
You live in the Highlands

Yes

and can only afford for your daughter to do two regular activities?

Not exactly. She does quite a lot but nothing that is 'different' or stretches her in any way. All her activities are the usual average weekly after school kind of thing. I wanted for her to try new or different things like the rock/wall climbing or horse riding for instance. It's this type of activity that is costly. £25 per hour plus equipment hire and travelling to get there. I'm not saying I want her to be Miss Active 24/7......all I'm saying is that her choice of activity is somewhat limited purely because of money. Children from better off families have more choices available to them.

We're in a London borough and do ok for money, but we can't afford multiple regular activities for the kids.
Your son is disabled so has fewer choices? Again, not a lot you can do about that. Do you get some kind of benefits for him being disabled?

Yes. Sorted.

I don't get what's new in what you're saying. Or is this the first time you've realised there's a difference between the opportunities of rich and poor?

There's nothing new in what I'm saying at all. It's just the first time I've actually given it some in depth thought and I posted my ramblings on here as I'm ill and bored.


Or are you here asking what cheap / free activities you can do?
I think there's plenty. We certainly don't have the time to do all the free stuff we'd like to do.
Library, baking, outdoor activities, cooking, arts and crafts, excercise, learning, singing and dancing.
My kids are significantly younger than yours so some of my suggestions may not fit - but I'm sure there's plenty for you to do.

I wondered if other parents had felt the same and what they did about it if anything.

From the responses on this thread, it looks very much as though you are all content with your lifestyles and activities etc. My daughter is happy enough with hers too, but as her Mother I always want more for her and to furnish her with as many experiences as I can in order to help turn her out as a well rounded confident young adult.

Although I appreciate all your replies, I'm a little surprised at how the general message seems to be......what you have is fine, you can't have everything and you shouldn't want it either.

It isn't a case of rich VERSUS poor. It's just an observation that richer people DO have more choices and I wish I could give my daughter the same. Is that so wrong?

bestpud

aliasojo wrote: »

From the responses on this thread, it looks very much as though you are all content with your lifestyles and activities etc. My daughter is happy enough with hers too, but as her Mother I always want more for her and to furnish her with as many experiences as I can in order to help turn her out as a well rounded confident young adult.

Although I appreciate all your replies, I'm a little surprised at how the general message seems to be......what you have is fine, you can't have everything and you shouldn't want it either.

It isn't a case of rich VERSUS poor. It's just an observation that richer people DO have more choices and I wish I could give my daughter the same. Is that so wrong?

No, not wrong at all.

I guess I feel money can buy you anything but happiness, although I'd like the chance to test that out for myself if I'm honest!! :rolleyes:

aliasojo

:D:D Yip...and me.

bestpud

I guess my mum's phrase is appropriate here:

Money can't buy you happiness, but it certainly bl00dy helps!!

Edinburghlass_2

and empty your inbox, be like Martin

mrcow

bestpud wrote: »

I guess I feel money can buy you anything but happiness, although I'd like the chance to test that out for myself if I'm honest!! :rolleyes:

And also we're all either rich or poor compared to someone else.

It's got nothing to do with how much you earn.......just what you choose to do with your money.

If you seriously want to provide these activities for your children then you'd find a way of doing it.

As someone who did activities all through their childhood (including tap, ballet, guitar, violin, piano, recorder, holiday dance schools, orchestra, girl guides, drama, horse riding, swimming etc ) I can tell you that most of it I didn't even particularly like doing (some of it I really hated!). I just did it because it's what my parents thought was a good idea. There were six in my family and my siblings did all this sort of stuff too.

We never had much money when I was a kid. My clothes were all second hand and we never had a car during the week, many of our toys were hand me downs and our holidays were caravanning in Cornwall etc but we still managed to do all this stuff. It's just budgeting.

If you seriously think that more money is going to make a difference, put in for some overtime at work and pay for the extra activities that way.

I don't think it will make much of a difference though. I can't particularly see your children being the "ASBO kids of the future" ;)