Poirot this is why men and women come from different planets.
My thought process is this, post the bankruptcy of our once biggest child care owners.
Cooperatives bought many, run them on a not for profit basis.
Because, truth hurts, some men have to play childish insulting games,
Seemingly because this is as close as they can get to a woman, it remains true, some of our best posters, WOMEN, have fled this site.
And because very few middle to aged men know the burden of child care, ASTRONOMICAL COSTS and yes mums unable, sometimes dad, stays home, to work because of costs I said as I did.
My answer, and I have one, is pure SOCIALISM, but in my view the best answer.
Increased productivity, is the gift paper it comes wrapped in, to help sell it.
But too, to play all sides of government WA&^% WORD BINGO!
Wealth creation, how I hate that mantra, it all so says poverty creation!
Poirot I am an activist, can STILL introduce you to the best single mum in the world.
She works in child care and doubles up as aged care, and her and her kids still go hungry.
Both are private enterprise things.
A government with guts would dump all baby bonuses leave associated with it.
And open in new buildings child minding centers in every school, charge only to retrieve costs.
Aged care? close the bottom end of the market and place every one of those victims in a government run Heavens waiting room, not the hell some are.
Dreadful bloke that I am I will retreat to my planet.

Is there a way of achieving maximum utility in all this?

The basic premise is paying someone else to look after children.

This needs to be affordable, not depend on where the parents live, require least government subsidy and regulation, enable maximum flexibility and parental choice. An additional benefit would be enabling parents to think they are doing a good thing.

Now I've checked on the Internet and World Vision, for example, has some very good deals going in child care commencing at less than $1.50 per day per child – and that's for 24 hours not a measly 8 AM to 6 PM.

This is considerably better value than Houellebecq's $100 per child per (one third of a) day.

It obtains several advantages in addition to meeting the above criteria. There's heaps of choice about age, gender, location et cetera. Your child's picture on its little postcard thingie is portable and can go with you wherever you want, without inconvenience to you. You can bask in the knowledge that your 'hard earned' is going to people who will benefit most from it. Whilst simultaneously reducing the need for Australian government aid subsidies.

Plus, just as in "would you like fries with that" optional extras include; the ability to visit your child – but only if and when and for as long as it suits you; being considerate of their friends by buying their village a goat, wheelbarrow or a water pump for instance; trade-up and change-over options enabling you to always be fashionably up-to-date in preferred children types; and, most importantly opt-out-at-anytime clauses if you get sick of the tax deductibility.

I also believe there are distinct advantages for couples who can no longer stand the sight of each other as it enables them to have children without the requirement or inconvenience of sex.

But as has been pointed out it's Cup Day though unlike some I don't need a game in order to drink… inexplicably I feel like having a win or place on Ethiopia.

I can’t answer the question; I avoid childcare, day care, long day care, home day care, and preschool type places like the plague they are.

I did think (in fact last time I was on here it was talked about) that Aussie had just pushed through some mandatory child care thing for parents or they can’t access benefits. Must dump child and go to TAFE type rubbish.

But I was wondering where did the females go?

They also send you fridge magnets Trevor and one should never underestimate the joy of owning a decent fridge magnet.

TPP - Yippee!...we need you around here : )

WmTrevor - I agree with The Pied Piper.

I remember when my son was an infant. It had been a long time since my daughter was that age as there is a nineteen year difference in their ages. This time around we seemed to be hounded by all and sundry to put him into daycare - so he could be "socialised" (as Houellie pointed out)

In the end I acquiesced, although my heart wasn't in it. We saw quite a few other children just in the daily course of existence and we went to "playgroup" as an adjunct to "life". Anyway we found a nice little daycare joint and off he went for one day a week. Aside from on the first day one of the attendants pulling his arm too hard (which sent us to the hospital to have his "pulled arm" righted,) I persevered and watched with incredulity as our little daycare was taken over by a larger combine - which in turn was bought out by ABC - which shut down the little daycare and built a bigger monster in another suburb - which led to me withdrawing him from the whole shenaigans as the corporate show seemed to have run its course.

My boy who doesn't attend an institution is the most sociable child I know...despite me blowing a raspberry to institutionalisation.

Btw, we sponsor two kids in Ethiopia through World Vision. Our newest sponsored child is a boy who was born on the same day as my son. I'm hoping the two of them can find some common ground in their letters. I'm thinking my son can learn a lot from the interaction, about the world and how people have different experiences.

Hey there Poirot! I’m in full agreement to raspberry blowing.

I see a lot of pressure now to place children into daycare etc. Now that my children’s friends have begun producing offspring all over the place the talk from birth seems to be about when they will return to work and where to stuff baby while they do it. Husbands work mates the talk is remarkably similar with the people in their 40’s popping them out to insert them into the nearest available inner city facility asap.

Mine stayed home, played with all the neighbour’s children and hit school at 5 years old with a flurry of new best friends and sleep overs and sneaking off to the local shop with their lunch money to buy lollies before school just like all the other brats in their new found gang. Gangette? Sorry “peer group” was the phrase I was looking for.

My son (now 22) sponsors a child so I figure he represents the whole family. I took the fridge magnet though and that will teach him not to spend his lunch money on lollies. My logic is sound.

After years of letterbox drops and collections from local businesses, the latest being from my excellent local pizza emporium (Ptomaine Tony's), The Pied Piper/Poirot, my fridge is totally covered with magnets – so the only way I could entertain the idea of sponsoring a child would be to buy another fridge.

"Gangette?" What about "group without peer" the next time you're looking for a phrase?