[Osem]

Originally Posted by Incognitas

Well it's not that cut and dried..Some parents are working at low paid jobs and may well have to work particular shifts which will mean that they finish after school has ended.

Personally I would rather a child was attending a breakfast club or post school club rather than being a latchkey kid in an empty house watching rubbish cartoons.Also gone are the days when people lived and died in the area they were born in and as a consequence many don't have any extended family nearby to help out.

Why work..well children are expensive to care for and there are any number of people(quite a few are members here) whom complain about the fact that they as childless singletons have to pay for other people's children and they think it's unfair.So parents who work are being responsible in trying to pay their way in a world that is ever increasingly becoming expensive.The days of a stay at home mother have long gone if you are a low to medium income family.

You see there's the thing - I didn't say it was cut and dried and I did point out I have more sympathy where money (and hence work) are issues. The people I cited are not poor, far from it. They have good jobs, drive nice cars and holiday several times a year in places like Dubai, Kenya, Barbados and South Africa. The only thing they appear not to have time for is their children. In stark contrast, some of the best and most devoted parents I've come across have little money and poor jobs but still find plenty of quality time for their families. A good number of these have children with severe special needs which adds considerably to the burden yet they still manage.