What a difference a year makes.
Yesterday’s man John Howard praised stay-at-home mums in May 2007 thus: “I am a very strong believer in the proposition that the care provided full-time by a parent is the most precious child care of all” and “every time we have increased benefits for child care, we have also increased the benefit for the stay-at-home mothers.”
Truly, they were the guardians of our beloved offspring. The selfless rearers of the young ‘uns. The noble protectors of babies and toddlers everywhere. The salt of the earth. This year? Wayne Swan’s budget failed to mention them at all amid grandstanding about increasing child care rebates for PM Kevin Rudd’s much vaunted “working families”.
Julia Gillard went further, bringing the saintly ones crashing down off their pedestals, musing “the child care tax rebate is about supporting workforce participation, it’s obviously in the national interest for us to be maximising the participation of working age adults in the labour force.”
Stay-at-home mums are p-ssed. And not on those evil alcopops.
It’s a very emotive subject — deciding whether to live on one income until the kids are at school or having both parents work with children placed in child care. Parenthood partnerships which have one partner (OK, there are a very few stay-at-home dads) who does not work generally tend to make decisions based on emotions not money. Those parents are feeling emotionally dudded by the Rudd Government’s first budget at the moment. Unless they’re “obscenely” rich of course (earning more than $150,000 per annum according to the Treasurer…).
Both full-time and part-time working mothers may feel vindicated by the message currently emanating from the new Labor Government. They do contribute more to Canberra’s coffers but they shouldn’t get too smug. How long before child care centres hike their fees in response to the government’s latest rebate? Let’s face it — the likes of ABC Learning Centres need the extra revenue now more than ever.
No doubt some trusted ALP advisers have crunched the numbers with modern demographics and cultural norms showing they can afford to lose the stay-at-home vote. However, despite the danger of being isolated, stay-at-home mums do have their own online social networks and can mobilise rapidly via forums on websites such as www.essentialbaby.com.au and www.bubhub.com.au if they feel the need to make their views heard.
Stay-at-home mums might not have the numbers but nowadays perception is everything. And the Rudd Government — with all its talk of “social inclusion” — does value its image as a caring, sharing kinda gang.
So there you have it — families are only valued by this brave new Labor Government if both parents work and pay tax. That much used and increasingly derided “working families” phrase may have to be quietly dropped by government ministers as it increasingly irritates a minority of parents that could get very vocal very quickly.
What Bubs Want: Lets look at what bubs want and forget wrath(for the moment) Bubs new and up till 3-4 years of age want the undivided love and attention of a caring Mother. They like to be close to the person that they trust most with teensy additions of other caring individuals ,in very small doses( a bit like adults).
They like to be cuddled and kissed and made a fuss of by their Mum and Dad (the people they trust most)
similar to adults who like to be cuddled and kissed and made a fuss of by their partner.When bubs are feeling totally loved and safe and secure they venture out with Mum or Dad or both to a wider world, before then, they dont particularly like it, but they cannot express it in words. Mums who provide this to their Bubs should be happy knowing that they are doing what their Bub really wants and needs. So if the government loves Bubs, they will do everything possible to help Mums and Dads give Bubs what they want.
Figures please. Is $150,000 a combined income figure? How many households are in this bracket??
Great article. It is an emotive subject, and I am one of the p_ssed ones! Government should be supporting families having children by offering paid parental leave, and cheaper better quality childcare – this means a range of choices about how to raise children are available to families. Policies that value either working mums over stay-at-home mums or vice versa should be shunned. To Julia Gillard I say – with an ageing population, increasing fertility is as important to the economy as maximising workforce participation. And increasing fertility is best achieved by offering families a range of choices.