I think pregnant women should get priority spaces, they don't need to be next to the door with the disabled and P&C spaces but just a few designated slightly bigger spaces, I can't count how many times I parked at the furthest point away in a space with no one parked next to me so I could swing the car open wide and came back and had to struggle to get into the car because someone had parked so close.
Definately agree partners should get a minimum of 2 weeks full pay paternity leave, my OH had to take the 2nd week as paid holiday because we couldn't afford for him to take it statutory.
I agree with the breast/bottle feeding comments. My midwife came into my home on day 6 and said immediately how is feeding going, I said it was going well and she said well why is there a sterilser over there? What the hell has it got to do with her?? I was expressing so my OH could feed but I have given DS formula too and I don't appreciate being spoken too like that as if I was doing something wrong giving him formula.
I totally understand that formula companies get to advertise and word of mouth etc from midwives is the only way the NHS can afford to advertise breast feeding but they can do that without making people feed bad about formula feeding and behaving like the breast police!!
I also agree all shopping centres and supermarkets should have feeding rooms.
allow me to try and elaborate my opinion - i'm probably going to end up saying it all wrong and certainly dont wish to open a bf/ff debate - there is no need for that.
What I am saying is for bf/ff to be equal there should be *millions* more ?? spent on bf! they are no where near equal at the moment - bf is seen as the underdog - which is why mws/hvs are pushy about it - they know they are the only line of defence bf has - whereas formula companies (who make the token admission about bf because they have to by law not because they want to and use quite a lot of loopholes to subconsciously ingrain the thought of their formula being better and suitable from birth - as is a fact of advertising's influences or it wouldn't take place full stop) can throw x amount of money at making formula seem part of your everyday life (the thousands of adverts seen everyday) if more was spent on it, and it became more of the norm then it wouldnt be seen as the underdog and maybe wouldnt need defending quit so much - plus the extra money should go on training people to help and support mothers who wish to try and bf - which would hopefully stem the tide of mothers who felt bullied in some way for ff.....
I'm still not sure if that has come across the way I wanted it to - I'm not on about how mothers feed their children but the equality of it all - and bf/ff certainly isnt equal whilst there is no money being spent on the promotion of bf....
I too have the problem of no public transport i can use my pram on, and we've been told its not a priority in our area until 2016. (
But Stephe - I dont understand why they have to be equal? You dont need to ram it down new mum's throats for them to know that breast is best, every woman knows what her boobs are for, and every new mum gets the instinct to breastfeed - she just needs support to BF if she wants to, not a lecture if she chooses not to. I asked the MW to give Abby 15ml of Aptamil while we were in hospital and in the morning I was made to feel like the worst mum ever by some mini hitler in a MW uniform.
Maybe the difference isn't about the new mum's perception - but the world at large. Maybe rather than bullying mothers they should do more to target the ignorant git in the street, rather than make FF mum's feel guilty for the choices they have made.
Ban all formula advertising - hate those ads! I would cap the price of formula milk and then increase the tax on it to stop the formula companies making obscene profits from formula.
I would use the money raised for providing more actual bf'ing support for new mothers in hospital - not leave it just to the bullying midwives. Although, I don't mind telling those of you who felt bullied into bf'ing, I have come across some pretty scary mw's in my time, who are pretty bullying about everything! Not just bf'ing....
I would love to see the benefits of bf'ing advertised on telly properly - in a way that could change public opinion, and makes it more socially desirable to bf - I'm sorry for the mums who felt bullied by mw's, BUT the stats for bf'ing in this country are truly appalling! Lowest rates in Europe I believe.
I would pass a law protecting breastfeeding mothers in public of all ages - not just up to 6mths.
Get rid of school league tables/ofsted and SATs and let children be children again. We never had SATs in my day and I did fine.
With money saved I would employ more teachers, and created more resources for school. Since 1997, there have been 90,000 new jobs created in education and only 4,000 of them are teachers!!! The rest are statisticians, pen pushers etc.
Same for the NHS. More midwives, nurses, less statisticians and management.
I would pass a law ensuring that Private Equity millionaires do not pay less tax than their cleaners.
I would put that money into subsidised childcare/salary linked maternity pay and paternity pay (I think at least 1 wk paid paternity leave by law- we were lucky, we got that anyway).
I would like to see something done about absent fathers as well - married dads have real legal obligations towards their children, why not unmarried dads?
More equality while on maternity leave: Despite what people earn before getting pregnant, while on maternity leave most women have the same amount of SMP, so why are those who have higher paying jobs not entitled to the same benefits, despite the amount of SMP not being earnings based? Why do women who have never worked or who are on a low income entitled to ??500 more with the SSMG, and women who have paid much more into the system not entitled to this help when it is needed? Either allow all women to have this, or get rid of it completely. In fact, why is it cash at all? If it is in deed for the benefit of the child, should it not be in the form of vouchers that can be spent on baby products?
A cap on nursery place prices: Why should I be expected to pay for the nursery on bank holidays, despite the nursery being closed? And why are there not more term-time only places? There has to be some benefit to being a teacher and the only one at the moment is the holidays, which means I get to spend more time with my child, but I will still be forced to pay full price for the nursery place, despite baby not being there.
MPs allowances: They shouldn't get them! MPs should be on a flat wage, then we all know what is actually being spent and no more misuse of pubic finance happens.
Breastfeeding: There should be clear and enforced law allowing mothers to breast feed wherever and whenever their baby needs feeding.
Parenting: Parents should be more frequently held to account for their child's poor behaviour.
Really agree with what Mims has written, id like to add....
More help for forces families. The Goverment need to open their eyes and see how badly their servicemen and families are treated, and should look at how other countrys treat theres.
Firstly there should be no tax on their wages when their posted out of the UK.
They should be entitled to a bonus or at least overtime payment seeing as their expected to work 24/7 with no notice.
Private health/dental care for them and their families.
Up to date houses, ive seen some shockers
More SUPPORT for wives and children when their loved ones are at war.
Oh and equipment that actually works for the men/woman that enable these MPs to sit in their offices nice and safe would be a start too :roll:
[Modified by: woomummy on March 10, 2010 09:35 PM]
In reference to the BFing issues my feeling is that a realistic view should be given not 'just do it or else' type attitude there is now. I have had a fantastic experience with BFing (in spite of mastitis, thrush, blocked ducts, no sleep for up to 48 hours due to growth spurts etc) and feel very lucky it has gone so well, but no one is told about how hard it could be or that it plain may just not happen for you, the government and MW/HV's need to be more realistic in their attitudes to it and give the mummies who try some bloody credit not disgust for switching. Its hard bloody work being a new mum never mind on no sleep and feeling stupidly guilty if a baby is getting fed then how shouldn't matter realistically. Maybe then more mums would feel more relaxed to give it a go (having formula in my house made me determined not to use it, not the other way around)
Anyhoo -
More time off for daddies on full pay (though this is company policy but government should pick up the slack) My OH had to do some much overtime to cover his wages he was exhausted come his 2 weeks off.
Better policing of the P&B spaces and fines for those abusing them.
I agree whole heartedly about the tampons and towels especially maternity ones.. Not on - I suffer with very heavy periods and go through both like wild fire and spend well over ??20 a month on the bloody things.
I agree about more (good) teachers and MW's and HV's. Mine were fab and feel its a massive shame if other woman didn't have that support throughout and after pregnancy.
BFing peer support should be a paid role to help those mums who need it, I feel much better talking other mummies who BF then any MW or HV plus it solves a few other problems and may help many mums continue for longer and not feel 'forced' into it as they do now.
I think it is very easy to say "more funding for this" and "more money for that". What we actually need is solutions. Yes, it would be great to have more midwives, more police, more teachers etc. But where does the money come from to fund this? Raising taxes on honest hardworking people.
I think money needs to be taken from other areas such as prisons etc. Why the hell should we be paying approx ??30k per year per for 80,000 prisoners? Make them self sufficient. As with the other women on here, I work hard, pay my taxes, and want to live a good life. I do not want to support rapists and murderers with my hard earned cash. Same goes for the dole. It's fab that we have a system that helps those in need, it really is, but is is abused. If I were out of work, I would be more than happy for the government to give me food vouchers (that could not be redeemed on cigarettes and alcohol), and electricity/gas tokens. Bus tokens and clothing vouchers so that they can attend interviews. Not cold hard cash.
On a personal leverl, I would like the married couples tax allowance to be reinstated. My husband is happy to support our family, and we are not looking for handouts. We budgeted years in advance for having our children, and all that we ask is for the allowance that I would recieve if I was working to be passed to him.
Tougher sentences for gun crime. In fact, all crime in general (God I am on one here sorry). I don't want my daughter growing up in "Broken Britain". We need to make a stance on the leeches of society, hunt out benefit cheats. That goes for MPs expenses claims too. Do you think I can claim a new toilet seat from my work? Er, I don't think so. Or cleaning my moat?
Stop paying out cash left right and centre, and plough it into schools, hospitals, care for elderly and support for working people.
I would have to say more support for BF mummies. Yes, MW's can come across as being pushy (I didn't have that experience) I was completely left to my own devices and needed so much help that just wasn't available to me. I got more support from this site than I did from my MW. As I have said before, yes the government are promoting that 'breast is best' but in my experience that is just a slogan with no real substance.
More protection / facilities for BF mums who want to feed in public. I mix feed so take formula when out and about but some of the stories I have heard about people's reaction to public BF are so upsetting.
The same rights for parent and child spaces that disabled parkers get. I would be quite happy to pay ??5 / ??10 for and P&C 'permit' to prove that I am eligible to park there. I have lost count of the amount of times I have had to struggle to get the carseat out of a regular space when there have been vans parked in the P&C spaces!
More training and funding for MW and HV. I had to cancel an appointment with my HV back in November and was told me HV was off sick anyway and that someone would call me back to rearrange. I got a call back YESTERDAY to see if I was ok and still needed a visit, she apologised for taking so long but as she was off sick there was no-one to cover her work. Luckily I'm fine but I hate to think of other ladies who are not coping or who have PND who have no access to a HV.
Also, definitely more help with childcare. We are classed as a high income family although when I am on mat leave or go back to work and have to pay for childcare we are essentially down to one wage. I know of many women who couldn't afford to go back to work, yet the government have a big drive on getting mothers back to work - where is the incentive?
But Stephe - I dont understand why they have to be equal? You dont need to ram it down new mum's throats for them to know that breast is best, every woman knows what her boobs are for, and every new mum gets the instinct to breastfeed - she just needs support to BF if she wants to, not a lecture if she chooses not to. I asked the MW to give Abby 15ml of Aptamil while we were in hospital and in the morning I was made to feel like the worst mum ever by some mini hitler in a MW uniform.
Why shouldn't they be at least equal? Why should formula be seen as the norm? or as a 'bad' thing? why cant bf be the norm... with formula being something to turn to should bf not work/ mum chooses not to bf...?
this is what I said though - "if more was spent on it, and it became more of the norm then it wouldnt be seen as the underdog and maybe wouldnt need defending quite so much - plus the extra money should go on training people to help and support mothers who wish to try and bf - which would hopefully stem the tide of mothers who felt bullied in some way for ff....." i didnt say the money should go on forcing everyone to try and bf.
and as an aside not every mum gets the instinct to bf. A lot of mums try to feed, but are faced with pushy mws who think they should just 'get it' or if they subsequently decide to move to ff, pushy mws who make them feel bad. I want the money to go on training people better so that new mums stop feeling so bullied...
I so agree with woomummy too! More needs to be done for the men and women that are prepared to die for us... and their families. They are brave people and they are treated like poo most of the time and given crap equipment to work with. they need decent equipment and their families need decent housing and education, and above all they need a respectful wage and Respect.
I'd like for the UK to stop fighting wars [for fuel] and find our own ways to power this country - we need to stop being so reliant on other countries for our sustainability - we used to have a brilliant base industry until 'we' decided cheaper and replaceable was better than quality and built to last... but we need to move into the future with a reliable energy source too
could a lot of the money actually be sourced by stopping companies dodging their tax payments, and by stopping all 'non dom' for super large earners... also the expenses from MPs would be a small help towards the monetry needs. Oh and bankers bonuses should not be paid in such obscene amounts! some thing could be done with them maybe???
I think we probably want the same thing tbh stephe. I am all for breastfeeding, I just think women should be able to make their own decision about it. I would hate for a woman to feel unable to breasteed because of something like lack of support, or a snooty look from a lady at a bus stop, but similarly I would hate for someone to feel like a bad mother for making the decision not to BF.
I think that the emphasis at the moment is on bullying new mums to BF just because they want the numbers to look good (I already mentioned the awful breastfeeding audits!) rather than supporting and enabling the woman's decision.
The fact that we have the lowest % of BF mum's in europe (as someone pointed out earlier) just goes to show that the current strategy isn't working, and needs to be re-thought.
The one thing that is really getting to me is that where I live, there is only three nurseries where I can send my baby when I want to go back to work. They are all ludicriously overpriced! To make it worse, they are only allowed to have a certain amount of babies under 6 months (12 or 13 i think they said due to staff) which means that only 36 babies in my area can go to nursery at any given time....this then means that I cant work full time because I cant get a place for my baby. I think every child has the right to a nusery place from 6m not 3/4 years when they go to public nursery and that nursery prices should have a cap on them so that in my case, the nurseries cannot put you between and rock and a hard place and its not a race to put your name down for a place when your 3 months bloody pregnant like I was told to do.
I also agree that capping formula prices should be done - why is aptamil ??1.50 more than cow and gate? What happens if my baby doesnt agree with cow and gate and I need to buy aptamil...its not a choice reallly to buy the brand when you think about it, its more to do with what suits your baby.
I also think that they should bring in the maternity ful pay for 20 weeks like most EU countries although I do beleive they are in talks with this already?
No tax on SMP - its ridiculous to expect those who have paid their taxes to ask for maternity pay from the government and then get taxed on their own flipping money!!
I think it is very easy to say "more funding for this" and "more money for that". What we actually need is solutions. Yes, it would be great to have more midwives, more police, more teachers etc. But where does the money come from to fund this? Raising taxes on honest hardworking people.
Same goes for the dole. It's fab that we have a system that helps those in need, it really is, but is is abused. If I were out of work, I would be more than happy for the government to give me food vouchers (that could not be redeemed on cigarettes and alcohol), and electricity/gas tokens. Bus tokens and clothing vouchers so that they can attend interviews. Not cold hard cash.
On a personal leverl, I would like the married couples tax allowance to be reinstated. My husband is happy to support our family, and we are not looking for handouts. We budgeted years in advance for having our children, and all that we ask is for the allowance that I would recieve if I was working to be passed to him.
Definately more mw's - both my births in hospital have been upsetting due to very poor after care due to a lack of staff.
More nursery places and help with costs. I live in London and while I don't earn anymore than someone doing the same job in any other part of the country I have to pay up to twice as much in childcare costs.
Better public transport facilities for mothers with pushchairs. We are always being encouraged to use public transport more and we don't have a car but it seems to be a logistical nightmare trying to travel anywhere with a pushcair. I have been waiting at a bus stop before with oh and bus started to pull in to stop but when I stood up with baby and he picked up already folded buggy the bus driver then saw us and drove on without stopping.
More smp. We can all budget and cut down on 'luxeries' but when you still have mortgages to pay and cars to upkeep (as you can't easily use public transport), insurance payments, pension payments etc unless your oh has v good salary or you use your savings its impossible to manage on such little money. And definately we shouldn't pay tax on it - I've paid enough tax over the years for very little in return.
Also more support for bf - I'm not sure how but it definately needs to be looked at why we have such low rates. And definatley more protection and facilities for bf in public.
Improved schools so there is more choice for parents. There should be less tests and checks and let the teachers get back to teaching and the heads get back to running a good school.
@Lara, condomns are already free. I don't understand why so many are not using them, but you can pick them up for free from your family planning clinic. (and they are normal durex, extra large durex and even durex with tastes, so not the cheapest ones either)
cheaper childcare available to all, until the government make it easier for parents to go back to work then they cant really moan about single mums on benefits IMO
legal protection for women who BF, you can just say you want people to BF and then not support them in real life situations
fines for people who abuse parent and baby parking spaces and disabled spaces
additional buggy space on buses
minimum payed time off for fathers and flexible maternity leave so that it can be shared it the couple chooses to.
overhaul of the benefits system to support people to get into work and help them stay there.
Have a more balanced approach to immigration address genuine issues people have, or they will end up voting for a ridiculous fascist party.
all valid points..for me better/more midwifves and training is a must, same goes for bf help, not promotion, actual help, and possibly a different approach to bf publicity, the stratgey they have is not working probably because they try to persuade u with how it'll just happen and is natural and easy and baby will know what to do, so yes ppl try it but then as soon as something starts goetting hard mum thinks she's not doing it right and stops, if the real facts were put out there (it is hard, baby will feed lots, growth spurts etc etc) women wld be more likley to carry on as they wld know hurdles they come across are normal.
also yes tampons/sanitary towells shld be free, or at least cheaper than they are...condomes are fee from gps and family planning clinics and u choose to have sex, i don't choose to have a period (nor does any other woamn) so why shld they not at least be cheaper.
also more actual help to enable people to go back to work, OH didn't need help paying for clothes for an interview, he need help to get his qualification translated to the equiv english qualification, but in over a yr of jobseekers, wld they help? nope.
also agree with the buggy space issue, it is a nightmare when trying toget home in the tain and there is no room on the bus for the buggy (particulalry when ds was in his actual pram, doesn't fold, wld still ahve had to find somewhere for the carrycot part to go lol)
I definately agree that SMP should be calculated as a percentage of your full time wage. At the end of the day those that earn more are likely to have higher mortgages and therefore struggle more on the measly SMP rate. I don't understand why it's so frowned upon to be a high earner these days. Very few people are born "with a silver spoon in their mouth" and most work very hard in training to reap the rewards of a high wage!
Also agree that fathers should get at least 2 weeks full pay for leave. How can this gov't expect a family to live when both parents have had to take a substantial pay cut just to spend some precious time with their newborn!
Thirdly, probably controversially, i don't think council houses should be given out to young girls who get pregnant. They should stay with their parents who receive a certain amount of money/vouchers every month to cover the cost of baby. The money saved will help fund new dads paternity leave.
Also, those who choose to go back to work should receive more support ie. childcare options, more benefits to make up part time work. I think companies should, by law, offer a certain number of jobs that have convenient hours around school time so that parents can go back to work whilst their children are at school. If they choose not to, lower benefits to subsidise those who have gone back to work. Basically encourage people to go back to work and not sit on their a*ses!
I think that stopping pram spaces on buses/trains is ludicrous. I'm sure they wouldn't even dream of banning wheelchairs but the last time i checked babies can't walk either??
Finally, i think the laws in place fopr bf mom should be extended to babies of all ages and it should be publicised that this law is in place and anyone who breaks it WILL be prosecuted (sp?)! How bad is society now that if you use you're breasts for something other than sexual gratification for men people feel the need to object!
That was a nice rant!! I would love to be prime minister
I definately agree that SMP should be calculated as a percentage of your full time wage. At the end of the day those that earn more are likely to have higher mortgages and therefore struggle more on the measly SMP rate. I don't understand why it's so frowned upon to be a high earner these days. Very few people are born "with a silver spoon in their mouth" and most work very hard in training to reap the rewards of a high wage!
i agree. But it's not just that you're likely tpo have a higher mortgage, it's higher earners have paid for the system to begin with. i find it ridiculous when people say they started work at 16 and have paid in since then while i was at uni (for 4 years f/t to get a better job). but the amount that people at 16 - 21 would have paid into the system on low wages is a very small amount in comparison to people who are higher earners, so that really isnt a reason to give poorer families more! it really bugs me when people say that they deserve it as they have worked (at minimum wage) since 16 so they have the right to the benefits they get. my dad once laughed at me for complaining about paying ??50 in tax and NI on my wage. my first proper wage after uni made me very clearly realise why!!!
- More consideration for parents who aren't eligible for most child-related benefits due to high earnings thresholds. I do fully appreciate how hard it is for people on low / no incomes, I really do... (my sister is one of those families) but at the same time, many people have paid taxes for years and years without complaining about it (yes me and hubby included) and the one time crops up when they (yes us!) need a bit of additional support and they (yes we!) can't get it. I know this is controversial but its how I feel and I say it in the nicest possible way without causing offense!
- I personally don't think pregnant women should get parking spaces. Pregnancy isn't an illness. Disabled people have no choice in their disability. Although I DO wish there were more that could be done to stop people without babies and children parking in parent & baby / child parking spaces!
- I think Daddies (all partners I mean) should get extended paternity leave. Many only get one week before having to forefit some of their salary. ONE WEEK with your new baby????? So not fair!!!
- I would like to see more companies / organisations being more supportive when it comes to time off work for looking after a poorly baby / child. Also for them to be held accountable if they are not supportive! I am very lucky and get 5 additional days "carers" leave before I have to start eating into my holiday allowance. Non parents at my work also get this, i.e. they can use it to look after ill family members (that aren't necessarily their own kids) or take elderly family to the Dr's etc...
- More financial help towards child-care would be fantastic! They have us over a barrel on this one really!!!
- Its off topic but can you please add that tampax and towels should be free. We don't choose to have periods its not fair we have to pay so much for these things!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The money ones are difficult though. I live in the South East so everything is more expensive that say, someone living in the Midlands. But we do still strugggle you know! ?
Joo xxx
I agree with everything said........ plus more rights to help with flexible working rights when you are in a senior position at work that companys can't get round.
Replies
Definately agree partners should get a minimum of 2 weeks full pay paternity leave, my OH had to take the 2nd week as paid holiday because we couldn't afford for him to take it statutory.
I agree with the breast/bottle feeding comments. My midwife came into my home on day 6 and said immediately how is feeding going, I said it was going well and she said well why is there a sterilser over there? What the hell has it got to do with her?? I was expressing so my OH could feed but I have given DS formula too and I don't appreciate being spoken too like that as if I was doing something wrong giving him formula.
I totally understand that formula companies get to advertise and word of mouth etc from midwives is the only way the NHS can afford to advertise breast feeding but they can do that without making people feed bad about formula feeding and behaving like the breast police!!
I also agree all shopping centres and supermarkets should have feeding rooms.
What I am saying is for bf/ff to be equal there should be *millions* more ?? spent on bf! they are no where near equal at the moment - bf is seen as the underdog - which is why mws/hvs are pushy about it - they know they are the only line of defence bf has - whereas formula companies (who make the token admission about bf because they have to by law not because they want to and use quite a lot of loopholes to subconsciously ingrain the thought of their formula being better and suitable from birth - as is a fact of advertising's influences or it wouldn't take place full stop) can throw x amount of money at making formula seem part of your everyday life (the thousands of adverts seen everyday)
if more was spent on it, and it became more of the norm then it wouldnt be seen as the underdog and maybe wouldnt need defending quit so much - plus the extra money should go on training people to help and support mothers who wish to try and bf - which would hopefully stem the tide of mothers who felt bullied in some way for ff.....
I'm still not sure if that has come across the way I wanted it to - I'm not on about how mothers feed their children but the equality of it all - and bf/ff certainly isnt equal whilst there is no money being spent on the promotion of bf....
I too have the problem of no public transport i can use my pram on, and we've been told its not a priority in our area until 2016.
xx
Maybe the difference isn't about the new mum's perception - but the world at large. Maybe rather than bullying mothers they should do more to target the ignorant git in the street, rather than make FF mum's feel guilty for the choices they have made.
Ban all formula advertising - hate those ads! I would cap the price of formula milk and then increase the tax on it to stop the formula companies making obscene profits from formula.
I would use the money raised for providing more actual bf'ing support for new mothers in hospital - not leave it just to the bullying midwives. Although, I don't mind telling those of you who felt bullied into bf'ing, I have come across some pretty scary mw's in my time, who are pretty bullying about everything! Not just bf'ing....
I would love to see the benefits of bf'ing advertised on telly properly - in a way that could change public opinion, and makes it more socially desirable to bf - I'm sorry for the mums who felt bullied by mw's, BUT the stats for bf'ing in this country are truly appalling! Lowest rates in Europe I believe.
I would pass a law protecting breastfeeding mothers in public of all ages - not just up to 6mths.
Get rid of school league tables/ofsted and SATs and let children be children again. We never had SATs in my day and I did fine.
With money saved I would employ more teachers, and created more resources for school. Since 1997, there have been 90,000 new jobs created in education and only 4,000 of them are teachers!!! The rest are statisticians, pen pushers etc.
Same for the NHS. More midwives, nurses, less statisticians and management.
I would pass a law ensuring that Private Equity millionaires do not pay less tax than their cleaners.
I would put that money into subsidised childcare/salary linked maternity pay and paternity pay (I think at least 1 wk paid paternity leave by law- we were lucky, we got that anyway).
I would like to see something done about absent fathers as well - married dads have real legal obligations towards their children, why not unmarried dads?
A cap on nursery place prices: Why should I be expected to pay for the nursery on bank holidays, despite the nursery being closed? And why are there not more term-time only places? There has to be some benefit to being a teacher and the only one at the moment is the holidays, which means I get to spend more time with my child, but I will still be forced to pay full price for the nursery place, despite baby not being there.
MPs allowances: They shouldn't get them! MPs should be on a flat wage, then we all know what is actually being spent and no more misuse of pubic finance happens.
Breastfeeding: There should be clear and enforced law allowing mothers to breast feed wherever and whenever their baby needs feeding.
Parenting: Parents should be more frequently held to account for their child's poor behaviour.
More help for forces families. The Goverment need to open their eyes and see how badly their servicemen and families are treated, and should look at how other countrys treat theres.
Firstly there should be no tax on their wages when their posted out of the UK.
They should be entitled to a bonus or at least overtime payment seeing as their expected to work 24/7 with no notice.
Private health/dental care for them and their families.
Up to date houses, ive seen some shockers
More SUPPORT for wives and children when their loved ones are at war.
Oh and equipment that actually works for the men/woman that enable these MPs to sit in their offices nice and safe would be a start too :roll:
[Modified by: woomummy on March 10, 2010 09:35 PM]
Anyhoo -
More time off for daddies on full pay (though this is company policy but government should pick up the slack) My OH had to do some much overtime to cover his wages he was exhausted come his 2 weeks off.
Better policing of the P&B spaces and fines for those abusing them.
I agree whole heartedly about the tampons and towels especially maternity ones.. Not on - I suffer with very heavy periods and go through both like wild fire and spend well over ??20 a month on the bloody things.
I agree about more (good) teachers and MW's and HV's. Mine were fab and feel its a massive shame if other woman didn't have that support throughout and after pregnancy.
BFing peer support should be a paid role to help those mums who need it, I feel much better talking other mummies who BF then any MW or HV plus it solves a few other problems and may help many mums continue for longer and not feel 'forced' into it as they do now.
xxxxx
I think money needs to be taken from other areas such as prisons etc. Why the hell should we be paying approx ??30k per year per for 80,000 prisoners? Make them self sufficient. As with the other women on here, I work hard, pay my taxes, and want to live a good life. I do not want to support rapists and murderers with my hard earned cash.
Same goes for the dole. It's fab that we have a system that helps those in need, it really is, but is is abused. If I were out of work, I would be more than happy for the government to give me food vouchers (that could not be redeemed on cigarettes and alcohol), and electricity/gas tokens. Bus tokens and clothing vouchers so that they can attend interviews. Not cold hard cash.
On a personal leverl, I would like the married couples tax allowance to be reinstated. My husband is happy to support our family, and we are not looking for handouts. We budgeted years in advance for having our children, and all that we ask is for the allowance that I would recieve if I was working to be passed to him.
Tougher sentences for gun crime. In fact, all crime in general (God I am on one here sorry). I don't want my daughter growing up in "Broken Britain". We need to make a stance on the leeches of society, hunt out benefit cheats. That goes for MPs expenses claims too. Do you think I can claim a new toilet seat from my work? Er, I don't think so. Or cleaning my moat?
Stop paying out cash left right and centre, and plough it into schools, hospitals, care for elderly and support for working people.
Sorry for the rant!
More protection / facilities for BF mums who want to feed in public. I mix feed so take formula when out and about but some of the stories I have heard about people's reaction to public BF are so upsetting.
The same rights for parent and child spaces that disabled parkers get. I would be quite happy to pay ??5 / ??10 for and P&C 'permit' to prove that I am eligible to park there. I have lost count of the amount of times I have had to struggle to get the carseat out of a regular space when there have been vans parked in the P&C spaces!
More training and funding for MW and HV. I had to cancel an appointment with my HV back in November and was told me HV was off sick anyway and that someone would call me back to rearrange.
I got a call back YESTERDAY to see if I was ok and still needed a visit, she apologised for taking so long but as she was off sick there was no-one to cover her work. Luckily I'm fine but I hate to think of other ladies who are not coping or who have PND who have no access to a HV.
Also, definitely more help with childcare. We are classed as a high income family although when I am on mat leave or go back to work and have to pay for childcare we are essentially down to one wage.
I know of many women who couldn't afford to go back to work, yet the government have a big drive on getting mothers back to work - where is the incentive?
xx
Why shouldn't they be at least equal? Why should formula be seen as the norm? or as a 'bad' thing? why cant bf be the norm... with formula being something to turn to should bf not work/ mum chooses not to bf...?
this is what I said though - "if more was spent on it, and it became more of the norm then it wouldnt be seen as the underdog and maybe wouldnt need defending quite so much - plus the extra money should go on training people to help and support mothers who wish to try and bf - which would hopefully stem the tide of mothers who felt bullied in some way for ff....."
i didnt say the money should go on forcing everyone to try and bf.
and as an aside not every mum gets the instinct to bf. A lot of mums try to feed, but are faced with pushy mws who think they should just 'get it' or if they subsequently decide to move to ff, pushy mws who make them feel bad. I want the money to go on training people better so that new mums stop feeling so bullied...
I so agree with woomummy too!
More needs to be done for the men and women that are prepared to die for us... and their families. They are brave people and they are treated like poo most of the time and given crap equipment to work with. they need decent equipment and their families need decent housing and education, and above all they need a respectful wage and Respect.
I'd like for the UK to stop fighting wars [for fuel] and find our own ways to power this country - we need to stop being so reliant on other countries for our sustainability - we used to have a brilliant base industry until 'we' decided cheaper and replaceable was better than quality and built to last... but we need to move into the future with a reliable energy source too
could a lot of the money actually be sourced by stopping companies dodging their tax payments, and by stopping all 'non dom' for super large earners... also the expenses from MPs would be a small help towards the monetry needs. Oh and bankers bonuses should not be paid in such obscene amounts! some thing could be done with them maybe???
xx
I think that the emphasis at the moment is on bullying new mums to BF just because they want the numbers to look good (I already mentioned the awful breastfeeding audits!) rather than supporting and enabling the woman's decision.
The fact that we have the lowest % of BF mum's in europe (as someone pointed out earlier) just goes to show that the current strategy isn't working, and needs to be re-thought.
The one thing that is really getting to me is that where I live, there is only three nurseries where I can send my baby when I want to go back to work. They are all ludicriously overpriced! To make it worse, they are only allowed to have a certain amount of babies under 6 months (12 or 13 i think they said due to staff) which means that only 36 babies in my area can go to nursery at any given time....this then means that I cant work full time because I cant get a place for my baby. I think every child has the right to a nusery place from 6m not 3/4 years when they go to public nursery and that nursery prices should have a cap on them so that in my case, the nurseries cannot put you between and rock and a hard place and its not a race to put your name down for a place when your 3 months bloody pregnant like I was told to do.
I also agree that capping formula prices should be done - why is aptamil ??1.50 more than cow and gate? What happens if my baby doesnt agree with cow and gate and I need to buy aptamil...its not a choice reallly to buy the brand when you think about it, its more to do with what suits your baby.
I also think that they should bring in the maternity ful pay for 20 weeks like most EU countries although I do beleive they are in talks with this already?
No tax on SMP - its ridiculous to expect those who have paid their taxes to ask for maternity pay from the government and then get taxed on their own flipping money!!
I think thats everything I can think of xx
Same goes for the dole. It's fab that we have a system that helps those in need, it really is, but is is abused. If I were out of work, I would be more than happy for the government to give me food vouchers (that could not be redeemed on cigarettes and alcohol), and electricity/gas tokens. Bus tokens and clothing vouchers so that they can attend interviews. Not cold hard cash.
On a personal leverl, I would like the married couples tax allowance to be reinstated. My husband is happy to support our family, and we are not looking for handouts. We budgeted years in advance for having our children, and all that we ask is for the allowance that I would recieve if I was working to be passed to him.
i completely agree with these points too!
Definately more mw's - both my births in hospital have been upsetting due to very poor after care due to a lack of staff.
More nursery places and help with costs. I live in London and while I don't earn anymore than someone doing the same job in any other part of the country I have to pay up to twice as much in childcare costs.
Better public transport facilities for mothers with pushchairs. We are always being encouraged to use public transport more and we don't have a car but it seems to be a logistical nightmare trying to travel anywhere with a pushcair. I have been waiting at a bus stop before with oh and bus started to pull in to stop but when I stood up with baby and he picked up already folded buggy the bus driver then saw us and drove on without stopping.
More smp. We can all budget and cut down on 'luxeries' but when you still have mortgages to pay and cars to upkeep (as you can't easily use public transport), insurance payments, pension payments etc unless your oh has v good salary or you use your savings its impossible to manage on such little money. And definately we shouldn't pay tax on it - I've paid enough tax over the years for very little in return.
Also more support for bf - I'm not sure how but it definately needs to be looked at why we have such low rates. And definatley more protection and facilities for bf in public.
Improved schools so there is more choice for parents. There should be less tests and checks and let the teachers get back to teaching and the heads get back to running a good school.
legal protection for women who BF, you can just say you want people to BF and then not support them in real life situations
fines for people who abuse parent and baby parking spaces and disabled spaces
additional buggy space on buses
minimum payed time off for fathers and flexible maternity leave so that it can be shared it the couple chooses to.
overhaul of the benefits system to support people to get into work and help them stay there.
Have a more balanced approach to immigration address genuine issues people have, or they will end up voting for a ridiculous fascist party.
also yes tampons/sanitary towells shld be free, or at least cheaper than they are...condomes are fee from gps and family planning clinics and u choose to have sex, i don't choose to have a period (nor does any other woamn) so why shld they not at least be cheaper.
also more actual help to enable people to go back to work, OH didn't need help paying for clothes for an interview, he need help to get his qualification translated to the equiv english qualification, but in over a yr of jobseekers, wld they help? nope.
also agree with the buggy space issue, it is a nightmare when trying toget home in the tain and there is no room on the bus for the buggy (particulalry when ds was in his actual pram, doesn't fold, wld still ahve had to find somewhere for the carrycot part to go lol)
Also agree that fathers should get at least 2 weeks full pay for leave. How can this gov't expect a family to live when both parents have had to take a substantial pay cut just to spend some precious time with their newborn!
Thirdly, probably controversially, i don't think council houses should be given out to young girls who get pregnant. They should stay with their parents who receive a certain amount of money/vouchers every month to cover the cost of baby. The money saved will help fund new dads paternity leave.
Also, those who choose to go back to work should receive more support ie. childcare options, more benefits to make up part time work. I think companies should, by law, offer a certain number of jobs that have convenient hours around school time so that parents can go back to work whilst their children are at school. If they choose not to, lower benefits to subsidise those who have gone back to work. Basically encourage people to go back to work and not sit on their a*ses!
I think that stopping pram spaces on buses/trains is ludicrous. I'm sure they wouldn't even dream of banning wheelchairs but the last time i checked babies can't walk either??
Finally, i think the laws in place fopr bf mom should be extended to babies of all ages and it should be publicised that this law is in place and anyone who breaks it WILL be prosecuted (sp?)! How bad is society now that if you use you're breasts for something other than sexual gratification for men people feel the need to object!
That was a nice rant!! I would love to be prime minister
i agree. But it's not just that you're likely tpo have a higher mortgage, it's higher earners have paid for the system to begin with. i find it ridiculous when people say they started work at 16 and have paid in since then while i was at uni (for 4 years f/t to get a better job). but the amount that people at 16 - 21 would have paid into the system on low wages is a very small amount in comparison to people who are higher earners, so that really isnt a reason to give poorer families more! it really bugs me when people say that they deserve it as they have worked (at minimum wage) since 16 so they have the right to the benefits they get. my dad once laughed at me for complaining about paying ??50 in tax and NI on my wage. my first proper wage after uni made me very clearly realise why!!!
- More consideration for parents who aren't eligible for most child-related benefits due to high earnings thresholds. I do fully appreciate how hard it is for people on low / no incomes, I really do... (my sister is one of those families) but at the same time, many people have paid taxes for years and years without complaining about it (yes me and hubby included) and the one time crops up when they (yes us!) need a bit of additional support and they (yes we!) can't get it. I know this is controversial but its how I feel and I say it in the nicest possible way without causing offense!
- I personally don't think pregnant women should get parking spaces. Pregnancy isn't an illness. Disabled people have no choice in their disability. Although I DO wish there were more that could be done to stop people without babies and children parking in parent & baby / child parking spaces!
- I think Daddies (all partners I mean) should get extended paternity leave. Many only get one week before having to forefit some of their salary. ONE WEEK with your new baby????? So not fair!!!
- I would like to see more companies / organisations being more supportive when it comes to time off work for looking after a poorly baby / child. Also for them to be held accountable if they are not supportive! I am very lucky and get 5 additional days "carers" leave before I have to start eating into my holiday allowance. Non parents at my work also get this, i.e. they can use it to look after ill family members (that aren't necessarily their own kids) or take elderly family to the Dr's etc...
- More financial help towards child-care would be fantastic! They have us over a barrel on this one really!!!
- Its off topic but can you please add that tampax and towels should be free. We don't choose to have periods its not fair we have to pay so much for these things!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The money ones are difficult though. I live in the South East so everything is more expensive that say, someone living in the Midlands. But we do still strugggle you know!
Joo xxx
I agree with everything said........ plus more rights to help with flexible working rights when you are in a senior position at work that companys can't get round.