What do you think can be done to take the stress off parents so they can spend more time with their children?

Question

There’s no doubting the fact that parents these days are time poor. To balance the budget, both Mum and Dad are out working longer and longer hours, spending less and less time with the children who, for better or worse, are being raised to some degree by paid help. Many parents don’t have any real choice in the matter.

It wasn’t always like this – but it seems to be getting worse. At a time when the social sciences are telling us that levels of family dysfunction are more or less directly related to parental absence and parental stress (particularly in early childhood) I really wonder what effect this seemingly unavoidable work treadmill will have on the kids of today - the parents of the next generation.

Maybe we can’t readily return to a time where one income was entirely sufficient to maintain a family (honest, such a time did once exist!), but I’d like to think that a smart Australia could begin to make a real difference somehow; that we could begin to change our lifestyles, our expectations, create more meaningful financial supports and give parents more choice about the home vs. work balancing act.

Answer 1

Bring back the days where only the father needed to go to work so the mother could stay at home with the children would be the best place to start.

Answer 2

1. Majority of parents are divorced. Hence, having to provide for the family. & Yes there is child support however its not enough.



Look at the roots of the problem, Make a course that parents have to take to have children. If they dont pass, then they cant have children. & With marriage i think it should be restricted too many people get married and then divorce 3-4 years or less down the tract. Maybe when couples get married & have children visiting a cousellor regularly would help alot. If everyone did that i know that my home life would be so less stressful



2. Many women after pregnacy want to get back to work. As do men.

Many partners dont want to be suck at home taking care of the child, & because we have child care services the problem is taken away. However i dont think they consider the effect it will have on there family in terms of bonding. I know that some families have both parents working so they can move out from there apartments to a home of there own. Because houses are so GOD DAMN expensive.



If houses were cheaper (somehow), if there was some sort of finanical help each week to go towards purchasing a house & education for the child.



3. We over spend. Think about everytime youve gone to the super market and brought all the extra food you never needed which was simply thrown away. We are constantly buying useless ****. I admit my mum buys 300 dollars worth of groceries in just 1 week and probably 150 doesnt get used, and is instead thrown away. Also adding to financial, we are drawn to advertisements and colourful packages & become overweight and then we are drawn to weightloss schemes to remove that weight. Image how much money we waste overeating and how much we waste spending it on 150 buck gym memberships and 1000 dollar excercise equipment, and diet plans such as tony ferguson.



If we spent less then parents would have less stress & worry less about having to attend work when they are sick or need to be with there children. And if workplaces were more flexible had more work leave opporitunties like we have at school so 4 terms and in between 2 week holidays. And that will leave more jobs open for that 5 % of australia who dont have jobs

Answer 3

Others have listed some great ideas, but I think the problem with your price is the time of year and location. Perhaps you can try a smaller beach and an inn that isn't quite so close to the beach. If you find something more inland it'll be cheaper priced reception. Also, consider a morning wedding and afternoon reception. A reception before 6pm is way cheaper. Also, since you want a beach wedding in June, pricey pricey, think about having it on a Friday or Sunday so it'll be slightly cheaper. Also, the white tent will cost you some money. Either chuck it or try to find a rental place in the area willing to deliver, set-it up, and break it down. That will cost you less than having an inn do it. Personally, find a local catering and a location that will provide tables and allow outsourced catering. You can cut your costs by finding a small local business to cater your event. Any time you do the typical wedding venues and crowd it costs more. My wedding will be around 2000 and that includes the honeymoon, rings, reception, and ceremony. We lucked out, there is a community rose garden that allows free rental. Also, a reception site with table, linens, and chairs and a rental space only costing 80 bucks for 2 hours. We have to provide the food but I decided to cater myself since my guests wanted down home southern cooking. Our invites, save the dates, centerpieces, etc are all DIY projects. So 20,000 is a good price for a wedding and not so bad for the number of guests. You need to trim cost by thinking of other venues to have your ceremony, think about changing the time of year, and your catering and tent options.

Answer 4

Put the kids to work and get them jobs. Any money they can bring in is that much less which the parents have to come up with. By pulling their weight and assuming some of the economic burden, children also take some of the stress off of others to provide for them. Instead of being part of the problem, they instead contribute to being part of the solution. It's all about maximizing their potential. You do this by being productive, not playing games and sitting in front of computer all day.

Answer 5

Hi from across the ditch. I think that the world is imperfect and every parent no exception. So saying I believe many families could/would live quite comfortably on one wage but I also think comfort is the enemy of anyone willing or brave enough to bring children into this planet. If you are stupid enough to think it might be easy then working is a real option for you along with daycare etc. It might also be treated as an "out" because being at home with the kids can be harder than working with other like-minded immature adults such as yourself. If you really want to increase your ratings step outside your comfort zone and do something about racism which is I think a much larger problem than whether or not rich to middle-class brats get bought up correctly or not. Capish?

Answer 6

What a stupid question really...obviously just going to lead to arguments and no real solutions that will actually work, nor will ever even be implemented!

I am a mother of 3 currently not working as the cost of childcare outweighs the benefits of working. Not to mention the lack of childcare options for the hours involved with my chosen career(nursing). I am lucky that my husband is paid reasonably well, and that while just barely, we are able to survive on his income.

I believe that if there were better options for affordable childcare, many parents could atleast work part-time to take off some of the pressure off having a sole income - reducing the stress of paying bills, etc and allowing them to feel more relaxed and able to put more quality time into their children.

One way this could be done is by cutting the CCB to parents that are not working. Childcare centres are filled with children of parents that do not work. Many of these parents continue having children just to continue receiving the parenting payment, they enrol in some stupid course that will never lead to a job and this then entitles them to massive CCB or in otherwords allows them to sit at home on their **** all day while someone else raises their children for them for next to no cost!

Sorry if I offend anyone that does the right thing, but this is a major issue.

I am not one of those people that believes people receiving goverment benefits don't deserve it, but if more was done to stop handing out money to people that do scam the system, more money could be put into other needed areas. Often a fulltime parent will earn as little as $1000 a fortnight which is similar to what a single parent will recieve in benefits. Add to that the rent assistance they get, while home owners receive no incentive, their health care/pension cards that allow them to free doctors visits and cheap prescriptions while honest working families struggle to afford good health care, etc, etc, I really could go on and on. Really, why would they want to work when often they are better off not working? So there's my rant, work on fixing that and the money saved can help assist honest families!

Answer 7

THE BEST ANSWER IS HERE.............

Instead of spending" 190 MILLION DOLLARS at CURTIN DETENTION CENTRE" in the Kimberley's of Western Australia !

p.n. I guarentee [ya will understand my answer by reading it all.]

and no, I am not vindictive of anyone at all.



We could divide that 190 Million , by the average aussie person [approx 26million] that's been working for say the last 4years. ;-



## Think- with a deduction of the following people;-



1. Then drop anyone that's been on the dole for this time !

2. Dump anyone that has more than a million dollars already ( twiggy forrest/ Gina Reinhardt,etc.etc)

3. All the past/present and sitting pollies,at the moment !

4. Anyone that takes drugs or has been charged for supplying/ or has happen to be in prison !

5. Any new australian that hasn't lodged a tax return for a min. of at least 8 years !

# need proof that they have worked and payed tax as per they should...#

6. Uni students that bleed the system !

7. Any Octo-type mum that has kids and a permanently claiming Sole Parent pension !

8. Them bloody bumble bee's that do fly in fly out jobs ( Cause they don't spend time with them anyway)...

9. Anyone that has arrived by a boat in the last 15 years without a proper passport and paperwork to come,here !

10. The drunken unemployed people without a proper living accommodation, as per kept to reasonable standard to live in !

11. Anyone that plans to vote Labor !

Cause they caused this TOTAL BLOODY WASTED MONEY ANYWAY ! ! ! ( voting kev '07).........

12. All the useless waste of time SHITs who rule our COURTS and include all refugee supporters !

13 Any Greens suporters too ! !



therefore, i guess we would cut the numbers of acceptable clients to claim to about maybe half of this total,being 13million plus I, so $190,000,000.00 divided by 13,000,001 = $ 14,615383491.00 each person as estimated. Being so, if only this many people are given 1,000,000.00 each ( how happy they would be ) ????? would they not have time to spend with there kids !



Now even giving everyone the say amount of 1million it ensure a" HAPPY AUSTRALIA " as to compared the way it is going at present ? Who agrees here, give us a thumbs up please ?

Answer 8

It worth having in mind the fact that many Australian households are in record levels of debt too, and I wont accept that this is solely because of a mortgage. Credit cards, personal loans and car loans all play a very significant part in this. If we choose to consume constantly and insist that we deserve the expensive wide screen tv and so because we work so hard then really we are shooting ourselves in the foot. There are way too many options to buy expensive items on interest free terms that well expire before the item is paid for and with the great majority not being essential such as a replacement fridge because the old one up and died and so we create the hole of debt. Many insist that with hard work they deserve these things and that maybe so but too often they are brought well before the hard work is done to pay for them. The credit reliant culture we are building sees far too many people trying to juggle a lot more debt than they should have, there is always misfortune and so on that brings some people into financial difficulties but by far and large the greatest debts are accrued though unnecessary purchasing on store based credit and charging to credit cards. Also so what if the car you drive isn't the newest and shiniest in the street, just because bob next door didn't mind juggling a $40,000 dollar car loan doesn't mean we all need to get neck deep. People no longer live with the thought of having just a little aside each week to get something bigger and better down the track, it has to be everything and right now. I have a single income family and our refusal to literally buy into the consumerism has left us with the ability to survive rather well on one income, and no I am not a doctor or other professional raking in thousands of dollars a week, just a retail assistant really. Who wants to be 60 to 70 years old before they can even think of being debt free? If you have a mortgage then that is the number one priority and before that is paid for everything else should be kept to a minimum and only brought as required in the cheapest most basic form possible. This is one secret of how families come to own homes much faster than others, because they can place more in a monthly payment and without other debts dragging them down can provide an often superior quality of everyday life to themselves and the kids. Not only is this generation damaging themselves but we are teaching our children that it is normal to struggle with money on a daily basis. Largely people need to reconsider what they are doing with their money get rid of smaller debts, car loans etc, and concentrate on the one big bill which is the mortgage or rent each month. Advancement financially requires a solid base and excessive debt is decay to that

Answer 9

I see no reason why we can't go back to having one income being able to keep a family. The Commonwealth Bank posted a 6 billion dollar profit today, this is beyond ridiculous. The housing market has gone from my parents (trying) to buy a modest home for 32 thousand dollars, today that same home is 'worth' more than 400 thousand dollars. You cannot tell me that this is sensible, rational, or simply inflation. The economics of the country are being dictated to by the big companies. The last time I checked this was my country, not something owned by BHP or the stock market. Stop the fees the banks charge. Do not allow investors who already own their own homes to leave the rest of us so short of housing options that homes are ridiculously priced due to supply/demand, whether it be to buy or to rent. In Europe many countries allow the option of lifelong leases of their homes from the government, this allows everyone the opportunity of a permanent home whilst producing income for the government to spend elsewhere. It is possible to stop this American-stock market-controlled style of rapacity. It simply means standing up to big business, banks, indeed the government of our day, and putting sanity back into the system. The only way to properly care for and raise our children is to have a permanent and stable family who has time for them, be that mum, dad, or taking turns so that neither is 'trapped' in the home.

I also fully endorse the idea that we need to stop consuming and lower our expectations in regard to our wants. To look at the average family home and it's contents in comparison to that of my Grandmother's generation makes me sick with revulsion at our levels of consumption and disregard for the rest of the planet. How you encourage a decrease in this vaste, vain, selfish waste, I am sorry I have no idea. Thanks for asking. Regards Woody.

Answer 10

This is a question that I have been unable to successfully resolve until just recently. I seemed that no matter what I wanted to do I was stuck in my present situation due to career and income factors and unable to reduce our cost of living without significantly changing our whole life. However over the past few months an opportunity arose in my current position that allowed me to work from home 2 days a week. This simple change that doesn't impact on my career or income has definately reduced stress in our household and allowed me to spend more time with my family. The flexible arrangements don't demand 9-5 work hours which allows me to drop the kids off to school and then pick them up and spend some time with them saying hi or helping them with their homework. I get all of my work done early in the morning, during the day or later at night and it doesn't interfere with my family time as if I had a business at home (done that before - major stress and family killer). I think it's a really good solution where everyone wins.

Answer 11

some times you just have to make a choice either the family or the boss

it is not always that easy

take every second week end and say this is for me travek is great so long as the moggy does not

tear the car apart

forget the incar dvd and take some of the kids musc learn a few of the words to the songs and ask

them what it means to them

ask them to talk with you not just ask for things they are

take an hour every night no television and det up a board game that does not need to be packed up

straight away

if the tv has to be on when the kids are in the room then lets hope that money matters more than

family decisions

when you take the family on picknics do you take your work with you

money can always be made

can the family always have an association with the oldies or is it the money latter on in life

Answer 12

i don't think there is much that you can do, i am a stay at home mum of 2, one child with a disability, i don't find motherhood stressful, but i do find it frustrating at times, i think it may be stress-full for the ppl that decide to work as well as have kids, and it is a decision to work , they are not forced to work, maybe if they didn't want a massive house and the finer things in life they could stay home and raise their kids themselves, my sisters chose to work,so they could have what they wanted, yet they whine that they missed the first steps of their children's lives and other milestones, but they have the best of everything, cant have it both ways!!!, my husband and i struggle everyday to meet our debts, but i wouldn't have it any other way, i have been there for everything my kids have done for the last 15 yrs, i give back to the community via charities and helping at the school n such.

maybe if people didn't want so much and were not so selfish they would realise that if you cant afford or cant be there for your children maybe you should not have any until such a time that you can raise them yourself, i know this is a much debated subject but why have them if you are just going to pass them of to others

Answer 13

g'day there paul



well glad to se that you taken an interest in the australian family

and what streses they have ....



does that include the single mother as well

i often wonder , we seem to be the last on the list at all levels



as a single mum whose brought up her 5 kids with very little help from the father

family or any other person...other then payed worker at child care centres..



and who has to have worked to survived and provide for them

due to the cost of living in the 70'to 90's.....



and to meet the requirements for todays pension

you need to work or study for 20hrs......is fair enough



but i agree with the others on this page......

the baby bonus waas not a good idea.................



and should never have been introduced..........

it has increased the foster care lists and has created a generation of really



unwanted children.......................

ive seen the effects in my own community of the baby bonus



couples and single women fallin gpregnant just for the cash...

is this really what was intended...............



if so then god help the country

when they grow up who will be in control......................



and in the mean time the cost to thte community is increasing

so really if you want to destress families ..............



then remove the baby bonus...................

structure the working week so that wages cover costs of living



companies be incoruaged to supply flexible work hours

or even provide on site child care for employees



that the foster care system be readvised as a care facilty rather than a business

that large companies and overseas industries allocated monies for employees families



that can be used to aid in emergencies

or accessed for educational reasons



rather annoucning profits that are totally riduclous

let them put the monies back into their employees training and job security



if people feel secure in there work life then the rest of there life will go more smoothly

and if the wage the earn covers the expenses they have then the stress is even less



they can then put more time into there family and help them develop into fine young aussies

andd as a single mum i knows itrs not an easy job................



and theres no one ther to tell you .....

that your doing a good job either



so sir hope that you do read these answers and thaqt you take into consider atrion the wider pic when developing policy for your party





yours in australia

betty boop

Answer 14

It's a free world. Parents should and do make the choices they want to make. And then live with the consequences good and bad.

The question posed seems to presuppose that some intervention is warrented. It that is so then perhaps the most effective intervention would be to remove all washing machines, fridges, and microwaves. That would shift the home vs work balance back to home as everyone would be back at home washing and chopping wood.

Answer 15

Sorry mate but people should only have as many kids as they can afford. If adults cannot make sacrifices for their kids and just expect welfare money to rain down on them, that is really wrong. I am already p##d off with the stats that show that since baby bonus was introduced, there has been an afflux for foster families. You're talking about a work treadmill? Heaps of parents have never held a job in the first place, just pocket the bonus and then call social services because looking after a baby is too hard.

Answer 16

I am dying to spend more time with my child. I need shorter work hours, shared responsibilities at work or something to take the constant need to do work and respond to emails.



Kids need their parents attention. Since my son is an only child and has no dad, my kid needs me more than ever. It is a catch 22 because my son needs me to work too.



I have thought of living in a lesser apartment. I keep thinking about making it work. I need a 32 hour work week or a different job.

Answer 17

Many families can manage with just one parent who works. They just need to know how to budget better. These families spend way too much; if they were to use that energy on their kids instead of wasteful spending and just use sensible spending, parents could have more time for their kids.

Answer 18

Honestly it is a very simple idea. The LCD tv, credit card bought stuff and that new car have replaced the extra money that could of been spent playing the bills and buying groceries therefore easing the need for another income to the family. Easy, just live a simpler life with less materialistic goods etc.



But I guess this is a political question so my answer is: more public holidays! =D

Answer 19

I think some of the answers here are disgusting...how arrogant of some to think parents simply CHOOSE career over family....or that we should never have had children if we cannot afford them!

I have three of my own children and have a foster child, I am not working at the moment and my husband supports us all, he works so many hours we only see him a couple of times a month. This isn't him choosing his work over us, we simply cannot afford for him to take time away if we want to continue having a roof over our head and food to eat, it's simple - the cost of living has outweighed our income and we do struggle. I am not ashamed to say that I rely on family allowance to help us through because I am certainly not lazy. I find it difficult finding the quality time with my family as it is, outside of school hours is the busiest time for a mum or dad.

I would love to return to work during school hours - this second income would allow my husband to work less hours and spend time with the kids too - however the cost of childcare, tax and loss of family allowance means it will cost me to go to work - why should I bother? Before anyone judges me I do spend many school hours volunteering either at my childs school or with charities every week.

It's the cost of living that forces parents to have less time for their children - we dont expect handouts from the government because that doesnt give us more time with our kids - but if we could afford to live on a basic wage 9 - 5, most parents wouldnt be forced out of the home.

Answer 20

I hate to sound Bolshie, but, contrary to some other views, bringing the value of a week's work up to a better standard so that people could have more time off works, and also opens up more job opportunities for others. There is a balance there.



This is a tough question - you simply cannot enforce lowering the cost of buying a house or whatever, and total price control of the market for food and such is pretty much anathema for our style of government. One of the prime movers in price rises of these has been, and continues to be, the dual-income family - I will rush to say that I am not against women in work - but I am against feminism and its demands of an absolute right for women to work to the exclusion of everybody else.



A return to the days of the single income providing for the family (whether it be the man or the woman) sounds good, and the truth, as shown by some agencies, is that most of the second income goes into maintaining the ability of the second person to go to work - which makes it pointless. Reverting to a single income family would compel a lower standard in the luxury goods to which modern families have become accustomed, so I doubt they would see that as a real option.



This is a bit like setting income tax at one level, and asking highly paid and highly taxed people to accept a lower pay together with a lower rate of tax that will give them exactly the same real income. It will never happen, since they feel they will lose somehow. I did this calculation for my cousin's husband, a senior public servant - he could get the same income with around 60% of his gross that he receives now, AND pay rises would be less inflationary, since he and his ilk would need less of a rise.



Australia, like much of the West, has become what I term a 'reverse Banana Republic', meaning that we import finished goods and money goes out as a result. At the same time, we are also a Banana Republic, and that outgoing cash flow of the above RBR is balanced by the income generated from export of raw materials in true Banana Republic style.



Strategically, in more ways than one, Australia needs to retain and rebuild a significant portion of its own Tertiary industry structure, which would provide a firm base of employment, locally produced goods, and provide a hedge against downturns in the rest of the world, as we have seen recently - Australia was, despite other statements, saved by its Banana Republic status, not by 'economic management'.



I am against One World-ism, and against Pan-socialism and every other world-encompassing ideology - for the simple reason that they make us all slaves to the rest of the world, and responsive to every hiccup elsewhere. Australia needs to take care of itself first, and forget the rest, or at least put them on the back burner.

Answer 21

Try taking the stress of parents by controlling the interest rates, and reducing taxes to a manageable figure. Currently parents are forced to work longer hours and travel further just to earn enough money to keep food on the table. The cost of living has skyrocketed since the Rudd Government was elected as we try to cover the cost of their waste full, and irresponsible spending habits.

We do not need to advertise every government policy, doing so is really just an irresponsible use of taxpayer funds which can be better used on hospital or education systems. Another government saving measure would be the abandoning of lowly ministers, IE those not holding a port folio, and any minister whose party is not in control, of taking "education and fact finding" trips. We could also put a hold on state ministers doing the same as their is no need for them to leave the state except for personal holiday reasons.

We could also reduce the cost of investigating policy changes, which are really unnecessary, and also by withdrawing funding from ridiculous study programs that have no future impact on our country.

We need to stop the boats. Nauru, and east timor are not the answer as these choices will do little more than cost our country more in aid to these countries. What we need to do is set up an Immigration centre in Indonesia where these Asylum seekers are awaiting boat availability to Australia. If we do this, and provide them with medical and schooling care, such as English lessons, We will save them and us money. The boats used to transfer people to our shores should be sunk after this policy is implemented, the Asylum seekers Immediately deported back to their country of origin, as they obviously have no respect for our laws and ways of doing things, and the captains of these boats should also be Immediately deported so as not to burden the taxpayers with the cost of their incarceration. The more boats we sink, the higher the cost of acquiring these boats will become making it even less lucrative.

We need also to reduce numbers in Government positions as their is a lot of doubling up in people, and a lot of doing nothing.

We need to make ministers more accountable for what they spend. Being elected to office is an honor, and it is the Job of the elected to serve the people that elected them, not the other way around. We could immediately halt all government allowances, instead making the politicians accountable for their spending by having to pay out of their own pocket, and issuing tax receipts to gain reimbursement at the end of the financial year. Also the policy of giving a pension to ministers that serve eight years or more, should be raised to 16 or twenty years of service, No other employment in the world gives a life pension after just eight years of service, and our government certainly shouldn't.

These are Just a few tax saving options, that would allow us to reduce tax, and allow parents the privilege of being able to work less hours. While the government continues to waste money in the above manner, and any other ways, the taxpayer will be forced to continue to pay the cost of government waste.

Cheers mate.

Answer 22

Cut out sports and spend more time with them yourself at the parks for a picnic etc. Kids have too many things to do going here and there which puts stress on parents. If they want to join a school etc activity tell them they can if they find their own ride there and back home

Answer 23

I think the 'change in expectations' is the operative phrase here. As awareness grows regarding the big picture of global wealth v dwindling resources v labour and human rights exploitation - as a direct correlation to the lifestyle we currently enjoy, most people - parents (like me) or not - are slowly becoming aware of the impending need for structural change within the form of government, business and financial sectors (not bloody likely), and / or the acceptance of certain realities and challenges we currently face which are likely, within the current system, to magnify exponentially in the future.



Social sciences also told us it was cool to smoke once, the Herald Sun spent an entire publication spelling Iraq as 'Irak' in 90 or 91 and other peoples folks were happy to give you a smack if your folks weren't around (which was a lot), so I don't hold much credence in the latest social science myth-busting, media knowelege impartings or small scale statistical research for a better child if a parent stays home sitting on the couch all day.



As the nature of the world changes we simply have to adapt to current situations that the now global information system conveys, and embrace changes to our lifestyle and culture as we begrudgingly move towards an era of self sustainability and necessary sacrifice of our current methods of consumption and organic interaction, as opposed to the absurd philosophies of resource pillage, spiral economic systems and fragmented self - obssessive thinking and social analysis.



The biggest problem with your line of thinking is that it's based upon a blind belief of the casual luxuries of the past (we all do that as we get older though), a disregard for the realities of the present and the vote catching premise of a population who will happily stumble into the future abyss as long as they believe they are fed, warm and safe.



True to the lowest denominator, however its a thought pattern that will render our children in far greater peril that what we perceive them to be in now.



We can't and shouldn't return to what we see through rose coloured glasses. A few simple truths (education, respect, responsibility - to name the basics) regarding the rearing of children haven't changed and won't be changing anytime soon regardless of the social, spiritual and economic times we find ourselves in. And that remains out of the hands of the political spectrum as our children grow up with the current surrogates - a sense of lifestyle entitlement, total media and advertising saturation and the unwillingness or inability of parents, both present and absent, to embrace the human responsibilities foisted upon us.



The question is how can we satisfy ourselves with the obligations as a parent while championing their inherent strengths and conciling with their natural human frailties, accepting their form of productivity or proclivities.



Which is (and should remain) an anathema to modern politics while the current system stands.

Answer 24

I am fortunate enough to only work part time in a good paying job so I can spend more time with my 3 children than I could when I first had children. This issue does not have a simplistic view yet I think there are a few things the politicians need to have a look at

1 - parents are often time poor because they can't afford housing close to their work

2 - employers are putting more than necessary pressure on staff to work longer, for the same money

3 - point 2 links to this point - many first home buyers and/or young families want it all and yesterday - when I first moved out of home at 18 with my first husband, we made do with hand me downs for almost everything in the house. Its made me appreciate the cost of things and I am grateful I can now buy quality goods

Answer 25

There is no easy or simple solution, something that I would like to have as a parent is that I should be able to drop my kids to school before going to work and should be able pick them up after work without paying extra for after care. This means splitting schooling activities to extend the time kids spend in schools, offcource not for every one. there can be some prep or recreational classes at the start or towards the end of normal teaching clases, some staff can start early, at the same not some can finish late.

Answer 26

Mothers, hopefully, are adults if they decide to have children thats there decision. You can't be a full time mum and full time worker. I'm sick of this mothers are so sacred way of thinking. What it comes down to is the parents decision work or parenthood.

Answer 27

social science caused the division of family. skinner 1948, to have the state rise the children.

Its intent has succeeded as most kids are raised by day cares after school programs,foster care,Nanny's, boarding school. etc. The philosophy of it is...

The more one wants the more ones children will pay for it. That's society. Created with the same intent. " what about my kid" attitude. If you cant manage cause you wanted it all, then why make those who don't have kids pay for it.. That's the NLT of it all. Brainwashed. Nepotism has created this situation and hiding behind kids isn't working anymore for those who are still emotionally unintelligent. They breed with selfish intent. When they realize their ignorance they start blaming everyone but themselves for their choices.

Sad but true.



I

Answer 28

The only answer we need is from the government.The cost of livings go up alot and our pay rate stay the same. I went to work everyday and i felt sad that I dont have enough time for my kids,so I quit from work and i agreed to receive the government money. Kids are the most important priority with parent,if we spend more time to our kids,they will build up more love and close to their parents,the more love they received the more respect they give.Secondly ask some of your relatives you can trust to look after them for 2-4 days or a week and go for a little holiday,

Answer 29

lower the cost of living so only one parent works and the other stays home with the kids. Sounds too good to be true though. Pretty soon We'll need more than two incomes to support a house-hold

Answer 30

Australia may not be oficially communist, but we have absorbed deadly communist tenets: legal abortion for any reason, children minded from a very early age by strangers and mothers working full time. It's not rocket science to see how these accepted practices have made the family a fragile and unstable entity. Add to the mix the high cost of housing and the combined stress on the family is almost unbearable. How to help parents spend more time with their children? Firstly, give generous tax breaks to husbands whose wives stay home to care for their children. Don't subsidise child care. Don't pay parental leave. What this country needs is lots more children in stable families. So many individuals spend most of their lives away from the home, including the children. Help mothers to stay home and the rest will fall into place.

Answer 31

in my own way of thinking and experiences as son,i help my parents in household chores,while helping them,we tell stories,we ere always open to such topics that could make the bonding more interesting.we go out when weekends,spending our time with leisure.for me this is a real family where you can consider that you belong to this home,a real home!

Answer 32

There's no simple answer but I believe income splitting should be allowed whether both parents are in paid employment or not. For far too long stay at home mums have been treated as second class citizens and not a lot of thought has gone into how much those women are actually contributing to society.



We were also promised a simplified, fairer tax system. To date, the recommendations haven't even begun to happen.

Answer 33

First and foremost,I'd interested this open question.I knew being a parents isn't easy to us manage our children most regards when you are from a distance.Just for call of duties.My wife asking at me how's she managed the children if, I am not around with them.I said traits our children as your friends go and strolling bring them to beautiful places.just not make must to spend money in pleasure. The only things they will created their mind about their growing up.Let them to fell what they say appreciate their likes discipline at the right time if they offense then ask them why you should do this just because you really loved them.must to support their studies,this is could bring to them a bright future.

Answer 34

Take the stress off of Parent's? I think SINGLE MOTHERS need a fair go. Two Parent families have it much easier than Single Parent families. Single Mother's have twice the work load of two Parent families, and twice the stresses. They have all the decision making and have to entirely provide for their Children themselves, and what about the REAL Single Mothers that don't actually have any help at all, no Family or Ex Husbands or Defactos (new boyfriends) to help? No child maintenance or extra income. The Government has enforced strict policies that Single Mother's have to undertake at least 20hours of paid work per week (enforced and monitored by Centrelink) once their Child commences School. How is a Single Mother with no help and on her own supposed to cope?, how are they supposed to drop their Child off at School and be there to pick them up, whilst working and running a Household all by themselves? The strict policies are victimising already disadvantaged families!

Answer 35

I see no reason why we can't go back to having one income being able to keep a family. The Commonwealth Bank posted a 6 billion dollar profit today, this is beyond ridiculous. The housing market has gone from my parents (trying) to buy a modest home for 32 thousand dollars, today that same home is 'worth' more than 400 thousand dollars. You cannot tell me that this is sensible, rational, or simply inflation. The economics of the country are being dictated to by the big companies. The last time I checked this was my country, not something owned by BHP or the stock market. Stop the fees the banks charge. Do not allow investors who already own their own homes to leave the rest of us so short of housing options that homes are ridiculously priced due to supply/demand, whether it be to buy or to rent. In Europe many countries allow the option of lifelong leases of their homes from the government, this allows everyone the opportunity of a permanent home whilst producing income for the government to spend elsewhere. It is possible to stop this American-stock market-controlled style of rapacity. It simply means standing up to big business, banks, indeed the government of our day, and putting sanity back into the system. The only way to properly care for and raise our children is to have a permanent and stable family who has time for them, be that mum, dad, or taking turns so that neither is 'trapped' in the home.

I also fully endorse the idea that we need to stop consuming and lower our expectations in regard to our wants. To look at the average family home and it's contents in comparison to that of my Grandmother's generation makes me sick with revulsion at our levels of consumption and disregard for the rest of the planet. How you encourage a decrease in this vaste, vain, selfish waste, I am sorry I have no idea. Thanks for asking. Regards Woody.

Answer 36

There is no money problem. You probably pay forcable or satellite, eat out occasionally or a lot, have a car payment. Cars are cheap people waste to much money on them. Give up some things and live within your means.

Answer 37

Stop telling women lies that getting married and having kids will make them happy and its whats expected. Tell them the truth, that its a misery unless you have at least $250,000 in the bank because thats how much its costs to raise your first kid.

Ppl are having kids with no money. They need to understand they need the money forst and also encourage ppl to get an education and good jobs. Make education accessible to all and force those on the dole to get an education or no money.

Let women know they have options and marriage is not necessary. I am 39 live in Melbourne no kids, no hubby totally single and blissfully happy. My mother told me the truth when she said marriage and kids are not all I need to do just because I'm a woman.

Answer 38

What a stupid party, so backwards. The DLP is against economic rationalism, something that even labor accepted in the 80s.

Answer 39

take us back to the good ole' days where you could buy enough chips to feed a family of five for 50 cents! The problem is finances, it often isn't feasible for only one parent to work so both need to which results in all these other problems you mentioned, if rent, food, bills and other commodities weren't so high then parents wouldn't have to work so much or struggle so hard, its as simple as that.

Answer 40

It was worse in the 40's. I don't buy the hypothesis that people are working longer and longer. As for giving them more time, that is their job. They set their priorities and they should make it work. The town of 50,000 that I live in tried to help. There is a FREE after school program in town. It provides homework help, a snack, recreation and even feeds them supper. One of the parents was being interviewed about the program. Her statement went something like this "Oh it is great. Now when I get home from work, I don't have to worry about gettin my kids supper or helping them with their home work. I can do important things like vacuuming." Yep! All we did was keep that mom from eating dinner with her children and spending time on homework showing them that school is important and that she cares. Can't make people have good priorities.

Answer 41

As a SAHM, whose company refused flexible work conditions, we have decided it is best that i stay at home and struggle for a few years rather then place our kids in full time care. My company, who promoted itself as an employer of choice, with flexible work conditions and is a very large media company barely gave my situation or requests any consideration. My job was very easily able to be done at home, particularly with the ease of instant messenger, skype, video/phone conferencing, email etc yet i wasnt even granted a few hours a week of being able to do so. Employers should be made to offer these opportunities to thier staff. Public service staff get the flexibility of part time work until thier child reaches school age - why isnt this extended to all employees?

Answer 42

I remember my Mum always being around when we were little, Dad was when he could but he had to work understandably. I try to be around, but it's hard to survive as it is on 2 incomes these days... add childcare costs and a mortgage, life can be pretty hard. I would love to spend more time with my kids but work is necessary for survival.

Answer 43

Shorter work weeks, flex time, increased living wage and/or more options to work from home.

Answer 44

Why does the poor choices parents make immediately translate into the need for "meaningful financial supports?" How about:



-ditching the second car

-eat at home instead of out every night (after all, we deserve it, we are sooooo busy)

-adopt the rule "if you can't afford it you can't have it



I won't pay a dime to subsidize selfishness. Live within your budget and prioritize your children ahead of the second car.

Answer 45

Parents these days are time poor because of poor planning. If they want more time, they need to make it. Everyone gets 24hours in a day, unles your in alaska of course...lol. But to put it simply. They need to make a plan of action. They are obviously NOT putting their kids first, but their career, study, or whatever it might be. Its obvious because, what you spend your time energy and money on IS your top priority whether you like it or not.

No one can do anything ,but the parents thinking that they lack the time. Its upto them. Unless you want to make a programme that teaches parents to plan for their furtures, or balance out their time more.

Answer 46

We need to reduce our consumption, for our own good and the earth's.



WE have mixed up our wants and needs. Our expectations are enormous. Young people want HUGE houses and therefore unmanageable mortgages. My husband and I now live on half an income and our lifestyle has improved. We live simply and have much more fun.

Answer 47

Take a holiday away from their children to take off the stress and return to their children and the stress to spend more time with their children and the stress,



Gawd! It's so easy!



But pollies make life so hard while they waste taxpayers' money and stress out the electorate with their BS about economy.



Remove the law that makes Australia undemocratic and give Aussies their democratic right not to vote and leave those who are elected by dictatorial democracy to see the votes are not even supportive of a democracy.



Allahuakbarr!

Answer 48

Don't have any children if you can't afford the correct time able to be with them, such as is outlined in proper Jewish Law to be at least first 2 years of marriage if without child, and/or for 2 years from time of birth of child. Anything else will always be an ongoing problem for everybody - if you as a man vow you will take a wife then you must be READY therefore to be correct with god to do so, and give her what she deserves for what she is giving you - immortality!

Answer 49

I think businesses should be held more accountable for the work-life balance of their employees.

Random audits of companies and the time their workers ACTUALLY spend working would give a more realistic view of how a workforce operates.

Then businesses would need to hire more people to do the work which was previously being done for free and people would have more time to spend with their families.

Answer 50

There is no way I am going to marry or have children under Gillard, like many other men. We will be looking to defend ourselves against Gillard's anti male policies and laws.

Answer 51

I don't know what planet you come from but families in Australia have never had such a good life as they are enjoying today.

Answer 52

Perhaps the work week could be tweeked to be 4 ten hour days with Wednesdays being the extra day off.

Answer 53

.



Well, sir, here in the U.S. the Troglod... er, Republicans would say: "No gubbamint innerfearance (sic), no taxes, no regulations, repeal everything."



The Democrats would parry that thrust with a combination of longer school hours, lunch and a snack, reinstitution of the Phys Ed classes and sports that were cut under President Troglo... er, Bush The Second, as well as resurrecting the language and science clubs. The Dems also would remove the crosses and crucifixes and Ten Commandments tablets found in classrooms, offices, hallways, bathrooms and on official school publications and written communications.I grew up in the 50s and 60s. oldest of a bunch of kids, single working mother. We got home about 3:30 every day, having WALKED the 12 blocks to school [at a time when normal streetcar fares were 15cents each way, including a use-twice, same-direction transfer; school kids bought rider-cards that cost about 7cents per ride... but we walked.]. WE were the ones doing the vacuuming, laundry, minor shopping and much of the dinner meals. Mom was super-smart, except in math, so she was very helpful with our homework, especially with English, spelling, history and geography. And whether we were in private or public school she always kept up with what we were doing in school; and she attended many PTA nights with our teachers. We were what was later called 'latchkey children' but that was okay. We all went to college, on scholarships. We raise OUR kids the way that WE were raised except that all of us are in 2-parent households as the parents: the kids have chores and get rewards on top of allowance, having learned that we raise them on a cause-and effect basis, as well as a modified Montessori style, AND with tolerance of and inquiry into the constructive acquisition of knowledge. Perhaps it's our mindset about priorities is in order, rather than an entity or exercise requiring money to be thrown at it: in essence, I shout: "J'accuse!" at the woman who vacuums instead of eating with, and helping, her kids. That is an avoidance mechanism on her part, whether intentional or not. But none of what happened would have happened if she hadn't spent the time with us to teach us to read at an early age. All of the good in our lives and the freedom afforded my mother came about as a result of her taking the time to help us learn to read. Reading is literally the key to almost all other achievements.

.

Answer 54

I personally believe that, those people in such as, and the Iraq, dont have maps, and such as, to help the America,and that is the Aftermath and the such as, the Afghanistan, and Somalia.

Answer 55

Not vote for religious extremists who wish to subjugate women like your party.

Answer 56

being unemployed and homeless gives you a fantastic opportunity to spend more time with your kids?

Answer 57

They can avoid facebook for a start ! What kind of stupid irrelevant political question is this.

Answer 58

I'd like to see a reduction in the average working hours per week. If parents could even finish one hour earlier per week, this would take the stress off them.

Answer 59

Breathe, Clear your thoughts, the answer would be within :)



Peace and God Bless!

Answer 60

Abolish gaming machines

Answer 61

I guess my sister and her hubby are lucky, he has a great job that enables him to take time of when he needs and he earns enough that she can take a whole year off, maybe longer for their first child.

Answer 62

Isn't this an oxymoron?

Answer 63

Stop spending so much money on BOAT PEOPLE!!!



They get EVERYTHING and are 'catered' to.



Why are they 'catered' to and get so much, including religious rights??



Australians are struggling ALL the time. It's a reason Australians get mad at the Boat people.



Australians should be given an 'allowance' of some sort so that they can take 1-2 days off work to spend with their children.



Instead of wasting money elsewhere on unwanted forts for these boat people.



Take care of your OWN people and OUR CHILDREN FIRST!!!

Answer 64

Four day work week.

Answer 65

get rid of the credit cards, not rocket science !

Answer 66

What a dumb question.

Answer 67

I am a little sick of this commie rubbish...tell the parents to work and support their own children and if it means 10 hour days and 7 days a week than so be it......





No one should be entitled to govt hand outs other than retired pensioners and those unable to work due to sickness of some unforeseen circumstance such as injury or disability.



Tell the lazy Australians to get OFF their backsides and get a job!

Answer 68

People should have fewer children and especially not name them Aaron, Ruth, Miriam or Hannah.

Answer 69

First of all, Tony Abott is a douche. He's sending Australia backwards!

Second of all, I think if we were paid more, we could spend more time with our kids and less time at work. ( Although, I'm only 16 and have no kids )