The Parents Are Not All Right • Hacker News Board

Re: The Parents Are Not All Right

#11

Post by cafard » Thu, Apr 09, 2020, 1:31 PM UTC

lonelappde wrote: post #3

It would be easier if families stopped the rat race and stopped sending two parents to careers. career minded people could pair up with home-minded people instead of striving for dual incomes. In good times those home minded people could use their free time to be pillars of the community.

Apart from the raw matter of money, there was motivation for women to get into the job market perhaps fifty years ago. In part this was a desire for autonomy, in part it was likely a reaction to the increasing divorce rates in the 1960s and 1970s; there was less sense of security in stepping out of the job market for any length of time.

Re: The Parents Are Not All Right

#12

Post by ratliffchrisb » Thu, Apr 09, 2020, 3:18 PM UTC

Leaving work for childcare is currently a valid reason to go on unemployment. They should try to work this out with one of their employers. They could each go down to 50% time and pay and be supplemented by unemployment currently. There is a lot of flexibility they aren't taking advantage of and then complaining about how hard it is.

Re: The Parents Are Not All Right

#13

Post by rdtwo » Thu, Apr 09, 2020, 3:59 PM UTC

Just like the supply chain the family structure has shifted to a a just in time no margin system with child care outsourced to the most efficient location. When the childcare system gets taken offline there isn’t enough capacity to handle work and childcare and rent something is going to get dropped

Re: The Parents Are Not All Right

#14

Post by geebee » Thu, Apr 09, 2020, 4:13 PM UTC

ratliffchrisb wrote: post #12

Leaving work for childcare is currently a valid reason to go on unemployment. They should try to work this out with one of their employers. They could each go down to 50% time and pay and be supplemented by unemployment currently. There is a lot of flexibility they aren't taking advantage of and then complaining about how hard it is.

Their jobs may be important, though. It's a privilege to have a stable and meaningful job, but it's also important to do it.

Re: The Parents Are Not All Right

#15

Post by MyHypatia » Thu, Apr 09, 2020, 7:09 PM UTC

pravda wrote: post #5

The absolute narcissism of people like this amazes me. Other people must subside her lifestyle, because?

Issues like lack of health insurance, lack of sick and parental leave, and the school day ending at 3pm when work ends at 5 or 6pm are common problems that many families deal with on a daily basis. These are a result of policy choices. It affects single people (single people get sick too), families with 2 working adults (not all jobs have health insurance, who can take early off of work everyday to pick up the kids, one adult may require care taking at some point in their life), families with 1 working adult (if the insurance provider loses their job that can jeapordize health insurance for the entire family).

I don't see how discussing these issues is "narcissistic". Aligning the school day with typical work hours seems like a reasonable policy change and ensuring the people can afford healthcare aren't just whimsical lifestyle choices.

Re: The Parents Are Not All Right

#16

Post by matt_the_bass » Fri, Apr 10, 2020, 2:30 PM UTC

geebee wrote: post #6

I actually disagree with this part: "The particular struggle reflects the most privileged perspective — that of two fully employed adults, sharing the burden, without fear of losing our jobs." While this is hardly an unenviable position, and may be better off than most, I don't think two people who need to work full time represents the most "privileged" position. In this case, a family with a stable and sufficient in…

I’m Fortunately in this position. My spouse is on full time should care. We’re not wealthy but I make enough that we can live happily this way and our choice is that this is worth the reduction in income from my spouse working outside the house.

Even so, this is REALLY hard. I can’t even comprehend the feelings of those less fortunate.

Re: The Parents Are Not All Right

#17

Post by akadruid1 » Sat, Apr 11, 2020, 11:49 AM UTC

pravda wrote: post #5

The absolute narcissism of people like this amazes me. Other people must subside her lifestyle, because?

It's a sickness of society to treat young people as "lifestyle" (or possessions, or hobbies) of their parents. If we think of them as people in their own right, then the argument for providing them with education, social support etc makes more sense. It helps to think of your own childhood. When you were were younger you benefited from the wealth of your parents, the structure of your society and the goodwill of other people. Those things have been eroded over time and young people today have less support then they had 20-30 years ago, and much less than they had 50-60 years ago. When a crisis like this happens, they too are going to suffer. This is a defining event for their generation even more than it is for working adults.