Its a wonderful life... Want to try.....?? A Single parents View.. !!xx!

krisskross

black-saturn wrote:

If thats the case why work?

Why indeed? Which is I think the whole point of this thread.

starlite_2

Slightly astray from the original post, but relevant IMO
Why are mothers rewarded for going back to work, but not for staying athome looking after their children?
I could go to work, but would end up earning 90p per hour after childcare / tax is paid, and that includes the tax credits I would recieve, so see little point.
However as a sahm I get £18 per week. Thats it!
Why are the government happy to give us money to pay other people to raise out children, but not to support stay at home mothers? What is the difference?

wigginsmum

starlite wrote:

I could go to work, but would end up earning 90p per hour after childcare / tax is paid, and that includes the tax credits I would recieve, so see little point.

Well I have no children but after I've paid all my outgoings and living costs, I have £40/month to myself. But I continue to work because I am able to.

black-saturn

And why is it acceptable for a married woman to stay at home to look after the children and suddenly become unacceptable as soon as that mum becomes single?

looby75

starlite wrote:

Why are the government happy to give us money to pay other people to raise out children, but not to support stay at home mothers? What is the difference?

At my last lone parents interview the advisor asked me if I had considered becoming a child minder. They would pay for me to go on the course I needed, to have any safety modifications done to my house and for my registration fees. There is a chronic lack of childcare places in our area and they are pushing the idea of becoming a childminder to anyone who walks through the door. Mainly because they are having problems getting lone parents on courses and training schemes because there are no childcare places for their children while they do it. :rolleyes:

starlite_2

wigginsmum wrote:

Well I have no children but after I've paid all my outgoings and living costs, I have £40/month to myself. But I continue to work because I am able to.

Well irrelevant again. But odd choice of nickname for someone with no children.

I am fully able to work, I choose not so as the amount I would earn is not worth it over the option of being home with my child. As I stated before I only recieve £18 per week in benefits, and though we live on tight a budget we are happy.

I just don't understand the inexplicably high childcare costs, and the 'drive' to get mothers back to work, when most of them will find as I did it's barely worth it.

lil_me

Very good point black-saturn. I was going to post that myself. Noone has an issue with me not working (not that it's out of choice) but my friend people comment about not working. Just because my DP works ?

Yes I know what you mean about childminders, only one in my area would look after my son as he has special needs and wanted £165 a week!!!!! I'd rather not go to work, sorry!

Broken_hearted

Ok I'll put another viewpoint as to why people are are hard on some single parents and wait for Black saturn to slam me down.
There are a lot of single parents with long term partner who work full time. They don't live with their partners as this would mean losing most if not all their benefit. Yet they are supported financialy (sp) by their partner. They are also allowed their partner to stay with them 3 nights a week. therefor getting more than a lot of families with 2 parents working. Some even having more children with their new partner and not naming them. These might be in the minority but they are the cases which upset and annoy tax payers.

Broken_hearted

black-saturn wrote:

And why is it acceptable for a married woman to stay at home to look after the children and suddenly become unacceptable as soon as that mum becomes single?

The issue isn't women staying at home it is other people working to pay for them to stay at home.

starlite_2

looby75 wrote:

At my last lone parents interview the advisor asked me if I had considered becoming a child minder. They would pay for me to go on the course I needed, to have any safety modifications done to my house and for my registration fees. There is a chronic lack of childcare places in our area and they are pushing the idea of becoming a childminder to anyone who walks through the door. Mainly because they are having problems getting lone parents on courses and training schemes because there are no childcare places for their children while they do it. :rolleyes:

This would have been an ideal option for me, and something I looked into but I was advised that our house is not suitable.
I also looked into a nursery nurse course, but they seem to have tightened the laws on taking your children to work with you in that field , so again not viable for us.

It is indeed a great option for many women though, and I wonder why there is such a shortage of people doing so!