Working mums: what do we want?

when will the powers that be remember that bringing up children is a full time job and that we should be reward for this 

I feel that if more families were able to have a parent at home full time there would be less troublesome teens around.

People seem to think that once a child is a teen its ok for them to come home to an empty house until mum or dad get home if the truth were know this is when they need to have some one at home what with the internet and unsuitable telly programmes on at all times on sky they need the guidance of a adult to help them do the right thing

I am all for stay at home mums we have the children we should look after them  

well said,

i hate it when i have to fill myself out as unemployed, yet theres childminders earning a mint doing half the work and hours is do!!!

when i was 12 my mum started work as a full time childminder for her sisters son, he was 6mnths. by the time i was 14 my cousin started preschool in a village 30mins away meaning mum was there, i found it very hard and it took a long while to get over 'being dumped' for that. I never got on well with that aunt since, i have a really strong memory pf when id just started upper school had a hard day been picked on etc and it rained on the way home, id got soaked and got in to the answer machine saying shed be home 7, i felt so miserable. I was an only child and my grandma worked 1-9 so i spent too much time alone, maybe thats why i settled down so quick i just wanted a family that was actually around.

Wow,I'm not alone.I'm a full time Mum cos I want to be with my children while they need me.I did work when Harry was a baby.None of us were happy.As soon as I was SAHM for good it made us the happy secure family we are.

My Mum worked from the time I was 14 and me and my brothers looked after the younger ones.She did part time but there were days we were home alone and did what we liked.We also had an "emergency" once where my then 9 year old sister was ill,screaming in pain and I was 15 years old and didn't know what to do.A clueless teenager was not what she needed ,it was her Mum.Things were different those days,there was no tax credit,my parents had a mortgage.I don't want my older kids looking after my younger ones like we did.I want their time to be theirs.

I have a choice,I choose to stay home.I don't have kids to get benefits,but they come in handy.I'd still have had kids without.Things were just harder before tax credits etc.

I hate having to describe myself as unemployed.It's gone 10 o clock and I'm taking the first break of the day.Still got plenty on the "to do " list.Unemployed,my ****I'll go back to work as soon as the kids are old enough

This is SO nice to hear.

I'm a SAHM mum too,have always worked full time prior to having children,and yeah I'll probably go back when the youngest is old enough to be trusted coming home alone,which after reading Laura's post will be after 16.

I think it is disgusting that we are not 'paid' to do this fantastic job,and I agree if more woman stayed at home,there would be far less need for the goverment to step in and deal with troublesome teens.

Yes we get benefits,the only extras we get that our ma's didn't are WFTC or CTC. Mine does not amount to much I can tell ya,but I'd still stay at home if I didn't get them. It is a choice,exactly as posted before by Linz,you have kids,you look after them. Also,I really want to. This is the most demanding role I've ever undertaken but it's by far THE BEST.

I wish I did get benefits ie income support etc....... anyone who suggests you have kids to claim benefits should try doing weekly shop for 4 and paying bills on the money I get-they'd soon shut up.

I wouldn't use the phrase I've given up luxuries to stay at home,because material shit isn't luxury,but yeah I've cut my cloth to my means,just wish mums were rewarded,we're saving the goverment money in the long term.

Rant over.