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

black-saturn

taxi97w wrote:

Enough of this defensiveness already!
The lady protesteth too much me thinketh.
Don't start on me... or I'll just leave u to it.
My point is, as someone else has said, I think, no I know, I'm worse off being in work.

Are you a lone parent too?

taxi97w

black-saturn wrote:

Are you a lone parent too?

Yes. Three kids 16, 11 & 10.

mrcow

mandi wrote:

Question you will want answered..WHY? , Am I not working...

:rolleyes: Well that's just the way my mind works, and has always worked.

You obviously are used to juggling jobs, as you said that you used to have three jobs and lost them all. I've juggled two jobs myself and know how flexible employers can be if you're good at your job and they are aware of your circumstances.

If I was in your position and didn't want permanent, full time work (because of your 12 year old), then I would either temp, work for an agency, work from home, take a term time only job or work part time with flexible hours. All of this type of work is available if you keep looking (I found some!).

The mothers in your link are slightly different, as from their pictures, they have preschool children which IMO is different to a mother who's children are at school for six hours per day. By your own admission, you have nothing to do during your days (except Friday when you clean), so why not look for something else to do with your time?


[Lights touch paper (again!) and stands well back]

black-saturn

taxi97w wrote:

Yes. Three kids 16, 11 & 10.

Well if your worse off by working arn't you making them suffer by working?

black-saturn

Because its not always that easy to find work that fits round school time or work from home which enables you to come off benefits. Every job I see in the paper either requires you to start before 9am or finish after 3pm so it's no good. I don't trust anyone else to look after my children. I had them both by choice because I wanted them, not because I wanted anyone else to look after them.

Just wait till Mr Happy Fifer comes on here and we will all get punched to a pulp.

taxi97w

black-saturn wrote:

Well if your worse off by working arn't you making them suffer by working?

I'm teaching them the value of the work ethic. I think by being on benefit for a few extra quid would teach them that benefit culture is ok. Pride, self worth bla de bla is more valuable than money.

Jacky-f

I've been a single parent for 10 years with 2 boys now aged 12 and 14. I was on income support for 5 years and really struggled financially. It really wasn't enough to have any kind of quality of life.

I did a training course funded by New Deal for a year and since then I've worked part-time in various office jobs. I now work 20 hours a week on a low wage but with tax credits added to my wage I am much better off than I was on IS.

I can now afford to go on holiday regularly, buy new clothes and even have the occasional night out. I still have to be careful, but definitely feel much better off now.

I am fortunate that I have my parents local, and they have been amazing with looking after the boys during school holidays or if they're sick. Without them it would have been much more difficult.

black-saturn

taxi97w wrote:

I'm teaching them the value of the work ethic. I think by being on benefit for a few extra quid would teach them that benefit culture is ok. Pride, self worth bla de bla is more valuable than money.

My parents had the same view. I was an only child left to cook, clean and on my own while my parents worked and showed me a good work ethic. Now I look back with my own children in mind and wonder why they did it. All it taught me was that my parents didnt really care about me and cared more about having money for holidays and nights out than about who was (or wasn't as the case may be) looking after me. I actually resent my parents for doing that. You should be careful the same thing doesn't happen to you in the future.

jooles5a

Looby, some chemists do a free dispensing and drop off service - they pick up the prescription from your docs and sort it out for you - may be worth enquiring about at a few chemists.

taxi97w

black-saturn wrote:

My parents had the same view. I was an only child left to cook, clean and on my own while my parents worked and showed me a good work ethic. Now I look back with my own children in mind and wonder why they did it. All it taught me was that my parents didnt really care about me and cared more about having money for holidays and nights out than about who was (or wasn't as the case may be) looking after me. I actually resent my parents for doing that. You should be careful the same thing doesn't happen to you in the future.

My children are not 'an only child'- they are not on their own. They are not 'left' to do the household chores. The oldest looks after the other 2 for 1 1/2 hours before I get home from work- in this time they are 'supposed' to be doing their home work if they have any.