Regular followers of my blog will know I’m not a huge fan of Daybreak!!! It all started back in October after their unrealistic portrayal of Mums in Business. Added to that the blantant disinterest in my comment and not even bothering to reply once I sent them copies of all the comments from other mumpreneurs … I have resigned to the fact that us mumpreneurs just aren’t sexy enough for the media!
I switched the TV on yesterday to catch the end of a debate between a very lovely lady from Mumsnet and evil personified burn your bras, mums are a waste of space rantings from Katie Hopkins. You can follow this link to the video online at Daybreak. http://www.itv.com/daybreak/lifestyle/familiesandparenting/sackedforback-to-backbabies/ The debate was about whether a mum had done the right thing suing her employer after he sacked her for having back to back maternity leaves.
What upset me most about this story was :-
- This could have been me!! I had M&M 16months apart I would have gone back from maternity leave for a very short period and then gone off again. We all make decisions based on what is right for our families. We don’t know the situation this woman was in she may have been trying for years to conceive and as with me I suddenly managed to pop 2 out in a short period of time. I made the decision early on to be a full time mum regardless of financial implications and my business developed out of the need to keep my brain active .. although the awards, money and fame haven’t gone a miss 😉
- Katie Hopkins was very rude and aggressive about the subject (perhaps as she realises what a numpty she was not spending more time with her babies when they were born!!) I really like the fact that her website states ‘telling it like it is‘ … I’m not sure she lives in the real world nor is she aware of the scarifies that us mums make for our children. Plus I find her attitude hypocritical … did we not all sit and shed a tear as she declined the chance to be in the Apprentice final telling Lord Sugar she was doing it for her children.
- Why as women are we always made to justify our actions .. I don’t mean to man bash (although I do mean to Daybreak and Katie Hopkins bash!!) but Daddy Moo wouldn’t be made to justify our actions to have multiple children and multiple maternity leaves.
I really struggle to understand why women are berated for wanting to raise our children … have we really come such a full circle in discrimination. 20 – 30 years ago women who went back to work were frowned upon. What irritates me the most is the lady in question only wanted to spend her entitled maternity leave with her children ….. she could have gone on to invest another 6-7 years of her life with her employer. I can see why so many mums start up their own businesses, it really is at times the only way to ensure you get to have the reflexivity your family desires.
I posted this on my personal profile on Facebook and just thought I’d share with you a comment.
grrrrr from me too! I turned it on for 5 minutes only to be confronted with that awful woman (who shouldn’t be honoured with the name ‘woman’!!!). She actually had a rubbish argument and was just there to cause trouble. As usual the editors at Daybreak hadn’t done their research and couldn’t organise a worthy discussion…grrrr…!!!
So true yet again another #Daybreakfail
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I hear what you’re saying, but I think you need to keep away from daytime TV – it’s not doing your blood pressure any good! 🙂
I didn’t watch the program but as a Swede it is sometimes chocking to see the inequalities between women and men and mums and dads that still exist in the UK. It should be easy for both parents to have flexible working arrangements and child care costs should be subsidized for all families so that it pays to go to work. I am also a mum who ‘cant afford’ to go to work and therefore started my own business to keep my brain going. Don’t get me wrong, I love the extra time spent with my children but it would be nice if me and my husband could share it more equally.
This Katie woman surely is not worth the clothes she is wearing as a mother, I am sure when she gets to old age she will have her kids well educated but very “independent” and will put her in an old age home.
This debate made me angry (on Daybreak), mostly because she was rude and totally ignoring the Mumsnet lady, do you call that professional? I think not!
Don’t employers get ££ from the government anyway to cover for this?!?
That lady was obviously going to go to work for a short while anyway before she had the second child, otherwise she would have resigned!
I don’t think this was a valid discussion, too short, too rude and not enough facts from Katie woman.
AAAAAArrrrrrrrrgh!
Monica
I have never seen Daybreak and can’t stand Katie Hopkins since I saw her talking inane crap on Question Time a year or so ago.
I do feel it is a shame that mums feel that they have no other option than to work and use childcare for their children. The thought of having only 1 year full time with my children is unimaginable. My kids are now almost 20 and 17 years old, I was a SAHM, I now run my own business, I have been a school governor and been involved in countless committees which has kept my mind working and helped me learn lots of new skills. For my kids, I have been their through their terrible twos, the even more terrible teens and now can still spend time with them as adults.
When they were small we paid for pre-school (no vouchers) consequently it was normal for children to go when they were almost 3yrs and just for 2 maximum 3 mornings a week. Most mums didn’t work. I worked in the early evening when my husband came home from work. He took over as I walked out and he has a great relationship with our kids too!
Sorry this has gone a bit off topic, but it’s something I feel really strongly about! Txx