Jo Swinson

Thank you for that insightful contribution rebbonk. Have you really not posted since 2015?

Maybe she irritates them too too much and they've asked her to ftfo for a bit

ftfo
is that text speak?

Pixxie7; can you tell me exactly which policies are about her? I'm afraid I haven't read the whole manifesto so think I must have missed out the important bits...

Yes, I have to agree with whoever said the motherhood is undervalued. Seems odd to me that people have babies and get strangers to bring them up. I'm sure many women would stay with their kids if they could afford to. We always struggled for money, but I did manage to stay with the children through sheer determination. Why is it that when women do go back to work, their transferable skills from mothering/home-making are not recognised? Or maybe they don't recognise how capable they are themselves.

Imagine a child asking it’s Mother “so why did ‘joe bloggs’ look after me when I was little and not you? And the reply was “Because your father had an important job and so did I”
I’m very lucky, my husband worked extra hours so I could be at home to bring up our children until they started school and grandparents could help out. In return, I’ve taken early retirement to help look after my grandchildren. I shall live on my savings until I get my pension. No job is worth more to me than helping raise a child

Imagine a child saying 'Mother, why did nobody teach me that women could be independent adults and contribute to society?' (Insert my life story here, as though it represents the only way to do things).
No part of raising a child is more important than teaching them tolerance, independence and that they should make a contribution to sociery.

Good for you Grannyflower! I'm sure that feeling superior made you feel happy too.

This thread brings back the ghastly memories of the awful women at the school gates on the rare occasions I took my children to school.

This thread brings back the ghastly memories of the awful women at the school gates on the rare occasions I took my children to school
Yup.

Some quite spiteful comments about Jo Swinson - why? I do believe she is passionate about this country & wants the best for it ( which is not by leaving the EU ). This is obviously more than Johnson wants, his only desire being to remain as PM then crash us out of the EU without a care for our future, & Jeremy Corbin, whose main ambition is to be PM.

She can do what she likes, it’s her life, family, job, ideology. She can make her own arrangements. It remains to be seen whether her children will be incredibly proud or resentful of her when they grow up.
Carol Thatcher wasn’t particularly fond of her mother by some accounts, but whether that was to do with her mum being PM or just being Margaret Thatcher I obviously don’t know. She and her brother were sent to boarding school.
It’s all supposition anyway. I’m not hopeful she’ll have to prop up a Labour government.

‘No job is worth more to me than helping raise a child.’
Thank you Grannyflower!
Thank you Kryptonite!

growstuff/Doodledog-
‘This thread brings back the ghastly memories of the awful women at the school gates on the rare occasions I took my children to school.’ - My point wasn’t about school age children; I was concerned about the pre-school years, when the foundations are laid for their future development/behaviour/aspirations. I’m sure your children would have appreciated your taking them to school yourself though. Nothing wrong with our school Mums - I made several friends at the school gates.

What specific concerns do you have about my children Tiggy? I’ll be happy to allay your fears.

SirChenjin
I don’t know your children, so I can’t comment.
Grandmama - thank you!
My background is similar to yours - I was a primary teacher until my daughter was born in 1983. I was given the option of returning to work full-time or resigning. I knew that there was no way I could hold down a full-time teaching post and look after a young baby. My parents were both working full-time and the other grandparents lived further away, so I would have had to find a childminder. I was not prepared to entrust my daughter to a stranger - I would rather struggle financially. My husband might have given up his job so I could carry on, but he enjoyed his job, whereas mine was very stressful, even without a new baby!

I know you don’t know my children but you are concerned about the pre-school years, when the foundations are laid for future development /behaviour/aspirations - that’s obviously very serious concerns to have about children. Our DC are 22, 20 and 12 and were such children - how can I allay your concerns?

Why were the women at the school gates any more awful than women who worked?

Takes all sorts and there is good and bad everywhere.

What about all the grannies at the school gates these days?
Are they awful too?

she prob has a nanny for the kids,

TiggyW - ‘My point wasn’t about school age children; I was concerned about the pre-school years, when the foundations are laid for their future development/behaviour/aspirations.’

Perhaps you haven’t been into a modern nursery, TiggyW but having recently been into both of the nurseries that my Uk-based GC attend, they are fabulous places. I can assure you that close attention is paid to behaviour and all the rest that you mention. The staff are all qualified and know the children so well. We always get a warm welcome from the staff and they know who we are even though we are unable to be at nursery very often.

My grandchildren are absolutely flourishing and so too are their parents.

TiggyW ^I was given the option of returning to work full-time or resigning.^You should have contacted your Union rep by then job-shares were being introduced to keep women in teaching.
I went to a nursey whan I was 3. At the time there were more day nurseries in the UK than at any time since., because women had been encouraged to work for the war effort. I don't think it harmed me. My GCs nursery is a brilliant place and they have so many opportunities to do different things.

MP's like Jo are trying to make it easier for women to be mothers and have a career in politics. Wasn't it Jo that has made sure that pregnant women do get the reciprocal votes in parliament honoured? imo the more women get involved in running their countries [and the world] the better things will be. I realise there have been/are exceptions [Thatcher etc] but women are a force for good. Lets celebrate that fact not criticise them for wanting to make the world a better place for their children. In fact, it was only when I had my first child that I became interested in politics because not only did I want to love and cherish that child but I desperately wanted to make the world a better place. And I still can't believe I'm now having to fight for my grandchildrens rights....

Very true about opportunities, Trisher. There’s no way my son and his wife could keep donkeys and chickens or have a maze and a huge sandpit in the garden of their London semi. Also, their drive isn’t big enough to park a London bus, decked out as a play cabin.

Honestly, I think care homes for the elderly should be like this - nursery is so much fun!

My father’s death meant that my mother had to work full time so that I was at nursery at 3 and a latch key child all my childhood. I was the only child in my primary school with a full time working mother and felt myself to be very badly done by. By the time I had two small children I was desperate for a life outside the home and embarked on a full time degree course, which fitted round the children nicely. I didn’t go back full time until they were 15 and 13 and delighted to have the house to themselves at the end of a school day before I came in like a whirlwind to be mum.

My daughter had much the better paid and more demanding and enjoyable job so SiL did most of the time consuming stuff when DGD was small, though she did four days a week at nursery in the year before she started school. She is sociable, hard working and a great do-er and a great example of how right her parents’ choices were.

There are so many ways to be good parents and most people make it up as they go along. Criticising women for their choices seems unfair and very old fashioned.

She couldn't answer the question what is a woman? Seemed to think it was anyone who said they were.

At least she doesn't hide from interviews like Johnson. And all of her speeches in parliament are done without notes....