Childcare is a financial struggle

When the average cost of a nursery across London, UK, is £60 a day hence £300 a week, no wonder why the average income family struggles. That's £1300 a month, £15 600 NET a year! Add on top of that your rent & bill costs ... not much is left to eat... I don't even dare mentioning "enjoy ourselves or provide fun activities for our little ones"...

Many of our European counterparts have governement subsidised systems, where families get to pay for childcare according to their income levels. That seems a much fairer way, doesn't it?

No wonder why many parents in the UK have to rely on their parents (the grand-parents) to keep their little ones whilst they are at work... But with the retirement age getting older and older even grand-parents won't be available anymore to stay with their grand-children! They will have to stay at work...

But for me the main question remains, why should parents have rely on their parents (the grand-parents) to keep their little ones? Of course it's great if the grand-parents are kind (and available...). Nowdays grand-parents are busy, either still working or enjoying their well deserved retirement life.

And what if the grand-parents live far away? Many young families move to the city for work and do not have their parents next door to help out with the children...

And what about those who just don't want to rely on family members to keep their little ones...afterall not all grand-parents have good intentions. Some use the fact they have been keeping the grand-children as a reason to have greater control over their own children...

Children, when becoming adults and parents should be able to be totally independant and autonomous.

More should be done to help young families cope with the raising costs of childcare. Companies' vouchers are a good start, but surely not enough to cope financially... It's the public responsability to raise childcare costs issues to their local MPs so that the topic gets further discussed and that solutions are found. Maybe not for us, right now, but for all the young families to come ....