What annoys you?

Its a different society today. Note i am referring to school age children. When both parents worked children used to go home from school until their parents arrived. Holiday time was a mixture of staying with friends or relatives or staying home alone in which the day could be mixed up with going into your parents work for lunch two or three times a week. Children had no trouble occupying themselves during these times.

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They were a piece of work when they arrived today… Said one of my sons is a ‘boys boy’ because he likes to eat a bit messier than my older one who hated a mess and touching anything slimy or wet (such as watermelon and peach flesh) as a baby

You can choose your friends …

The kids your subsidising will grow up into working adults who will pay taxes when you are no longer doing it.

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I just think $146 a day is a ridiculous amount to pay for one child, … and like it’s been said, it’s not going into the pockets of the childcare workers, who are among the lowest paid in the country, and yet are doing a far more important job than many who are paid more.

I’ve always thought that 3 people with a child each, could pool their cash, and pay 1 Childcarer/Nanny a far more decent wage to look after all 3 in someones home, and save 40% into the bargain.

I’m amazed more folk aren’t doing something like that.

I’m not sure what an acceptable child to worker ratio is these days, but it could get even cheaper with 4 or 5. I have a friend that did home daycare for a while, and I’m pretty sure she had 5 per day,

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They are doing just that. At my work we have several immigrant groups come in and study what is basically a child care at home course. The idea is that one person takes care of all the kids one day while the other parents go to work; the next day a different parent does the job and so on.

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Try saying that on a Collingwood forum.

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I love work so some sort of employment is a must for me. I think it is important for my boys to see their mum going to work just like their dad.

If I took 5-6 years out of work I would forgo a lot of superannuation and would have to rely on my husband. I prefer my financial independence.

It is hard enough getting a job with a good resume let alone trying to get back into work with 5-6 years out. Not many employers will view it positively.

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Shall we just ignore the root cause of the problem entirely?

My parents maintained a mortgage and 2xschool fees on a postman’s wage. I didn’t attend childcare as my mother was able to stay home until my younger sister started school.

Anyone want to try that now? Even paying rent?

Trickle down, growth-driven economics. God bless it.

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Just chalk it up to the BF thread derailment effect. He’s been married 59 times remember - but knows everything about where everyone else should invest their time, money, expertise and how they shouldn’t be spending his taxes. Fk me. Let’s all be conservative when it suits us, otherwise, every etc. for themselves.

(Why am I still engaging in this discussion?)

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Ours is one of the more expensive around because of it’s central CBD location, we do get half of that back in the dreaded rebates bf is paying for. Its one educator for 4 children until kinder when its one for 11 kids. These ratios dropped 2 years ago.

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All of this. I love my job and it’s super important that my daughter sees men’s and women’s roles as equal (and it wouldn’t be worth bugman stopping work as he earns more than me)

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There was a woman on my staff with preschool kids. She and the partner both worked part time in responsible positions. I have never come across such a well organised , flexible in times of work crises and efficient operator. After that, I thought that when interviewing someone for a part time position I should also interview the partner

I agree. But the sad fact is that mjority goes to the owner and director not the people who make lunches or work with the kids.

My wife’s old center in the city charges over $210 a day and the workers are paid exactly the same as any other childcare worker.

Remember when K Rudd was going to fix the ‘double drop-off’? I remember that.

Pretty sure M Turnbull promised to make child care more flexible by allowing subsidised nannies and au-pair arrangements. Friends of ours had several au-pairs informally. They provided food + lodgings + a modest wage ($200 cash for the week IIRC), the au-pair cared for the children and did some basic chores around the house whilst the parents worked. Had the weekends to themselves. It worked very well for them and the au-pairs.

Bacchus is or was a local politician, the good townsfolk of Bacchus Marsh have been paying for him not to work for a long long time.

Tell us more about your sound and responsible life decisions Mr fox. Is it Mrs fox 3 or 4 now??

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Stopping work is a sure fire way to help make ends meet.

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Maybe it is when half the daily wage goes to childcare, then you add fuel, additional time away… doesn’t take long to add up. I estimate I save at least 40 a day on not having to go to the office. This excludes any childcare and a ton of other items.

That’s great for you. But it’s not an option Mrs P has. Nor does it really make sense for the taxpayer to subsidise all these people, to get all this education, so they can put back into society, and then stop using it as soon as they’ve got 6-7 years of real work experience and have a kid.

(I don’t really have an answer here: just that your situation is not my situation or megz’ situation. Childcare is a necessary evil for a very very large number of people)

The nuclear family is a relatively recent phenomenon, remember. Go back a few hundred years and there was a lot of shared childcare in the village or town, or extended family. “It takes a village to raise a child”. Still happens in many cultures.