Help is nearby
It seems that, in these ever-busy times, increased pressure is placed on us all to do more, and with what seems like less time at our disposal. Technology was once thought to be the answer to our life problems. Now it seems we’ve become slave to the very devices that were supposed to empower our freedom – we can be contacted pretty much anywhere on the planet (at any time), and the internet means work can reach us in ways not possible before the advent of the 21st century.
This has had a tremendous impact on the modern family unit. The idea that a mother was the home-maker and sole carer for the children is one that’s already fallen out of favour and seems old-fashioned. These days, if the father is working, the mother is expected to hold down a job too; increasingly, this is the reality for most homes that just can’t manage on the income a single wage will bring.
So it’s not surprising that this raises the question of the provision of childcare. Even if the mother is just working part-time hours, this will impact on home life. Even the most carefully planned timetable won’t allow for every eventuality – sometimes, it won’t be possible for a parent to be outside the school gates when the final bell rings when the children need collecting. Likewise, it won’t always be possible to get the children to where they need to be on time.
Naturally, if there are two of you, the responsibilities will be shared to a great extent. This juggle will work most of the time – but even then, there will be those days where both of you are tied up. Any family with more than one child will have times when both parents are out with one of the children, leaving one sibling (or more) alone.
What do you do then? Traditionally, this is where grandparents help out. Often the unsung saviours of the day when it comes to looking after grandchildren, grandparents often end up as unpaid carers and will devote most of their spare time to helping out.
This is fine if you’ve got parents who live nearby, or at least parents you get along with. For a lot of people, this isn’t an option. And in this climate of child protection issues, most people are not prepared to simply leave their children in the care of casual friends or neighbours.
Of course a lot can depend on the ages of the children involved. A degree of responsibility can be safely passed on to most level-headed boys and girls when they approach the teenage years and this can be in some ways a good testing ground for how ready a child is when it comes to looking after themselves for a short period. For children younger than that, you really have to make sure there’s continual support and adult care. And while hiring a nanny is a nice option for some people, it will be out of the price range of a great many people to really see that as a viable choice.
Really good options do exist in most towns and cities for parents in this situation. Pre-school, after-school and breakfast clubs as well as holiday schemes are all available in many locales, often as part of community centres or attached to schools. Those places offer a safe venue for children; a learning environment that’s also a fun (and clean) place. Drinks, snacks and activities are provided and children will usually be shuttled between school and home if that’s required.
If you want to find childcare services in your area, make use of a free online business directory website like Directory Shop to find all the schemes and facilities in your area – there’s sure to be a suitable venue near to where you live that you can take full advantage of.
Ian Terry
