Home Truths Tear in a Home

According to the BBC today parents who offer each other reciprocal childcare could soon be forced to register as childminders, with all the associated bureaucracy. I have friends who I did NCT classes with who both work full time and have an arrangement that one of them will look after both children one day per week and the other will look after both another day per week. Under the new proposals these friends will be forced to either abandon this relationship or register as childminders.

With formal childcare costs being prohibitive to some families, many now rely on grandparents, other relations and friends to care for their kids while they work. Ending such relationships could mean some parents being forced to give up working and lose much needed income. How can forcing working parents, who are trying to improve things for their families, further towards the poverty line benefit their children?

I've Got a Good Job

Ok, so now that the risk of miscarriage was minimised and scans had revealed that all seemed to be well with the baby, the families has been told and close friends were in the loop, it was finally time to go public at work.

As I have only been in my job for 8 months I kind of expected my bosses to be displeased but as it happened they had previously speculated to each other that I would probably have anothe rbaby in the next year. Turns out that one has children who are 18 months apart and the other has them 19 months apart and so they probably thought that with a 21 month age gap I was kind of dragging my heels!

So I was fretting over nothing and they were both very pleased for me.