Childcare is bloody expensive!

Fitzmichael

I was born in 1941 and married in my 20s. It was still assumed that, generally, a husband's pay would cover the costs of a family, at however a meagre rate. That didn't mean a working wife was discouraged but it did mean that she could choose not to work, and usually did while the children were small (and I don't recall that grandparents were 'on-call' 5 days a week as substitutes).
My (teacher's) salary was always sufficient for our 'needs' and some savings but my teacher wife paid (from her own bank a/c, which her salary went into) for regular household purchases, inc her and children's clothes. I don't know when (how/why) a single salary became (was felt?) to be insufficient, but this was said, maybe 20 years ago in the Press, to have been due to 'govt policy' (in the Anglo world?). Nonetheless, I've been amazed at, eg, headteachers on £35-40,000 (not counting a teacher wife) who wrote that they were barely managing to survive.
I'm not a conspiracy theorist but people don't have to actually have contact to see that, if they act in concert, they can take advantage of other people without their knowledge, and the huge gap in wealth that has occurred in recent years is now being said to have been allowed by similar govt shoulder-shrugging (excused by some commentators by politicians' stupid belief since M Thatcher that this wealth would 'trickle down' to the rest of us in large enough quantities for us not to rebel against it). Surely, 20 years after Mrs T - never mind now-, reality should have started to sink in.

Raven42

Easily one of the worse threads I've seen on here - including the spam ones.

Can all the judgemental folks who think their opinion is right please go back to mumsnet.

I just wish the original poster well and hope they find a way. Sorry there isn't an easy solution to your problem and you have had some of the responses you have.

Comms69

Raven42 wrote: »

Easily one of the worse threads I've seen on here - including the spam ones.

Can all the judgemental folks who think their opinion is right please go back to mumsnet.

I just wish the original poster well and hope they find a way. Sorry there isn't an easy solution to your problem and you have had some of the responses you have.

For the most part it's been sensible debate, so I have to presume that's what you're referring to?