[Gman2]

Originally Posted by Polly

Don't you think there might be a possibility that your daughter might actually end up with a proper worthwhile job, and maybe even be able to buy her own house?
You see we oldies can remember a time when a house could be bought for roughly a years wage. We can also remember when a woman could stay at home and look after her own children, and as a result, never complained about the lack of childcare. We can remember when those in work paid for a pension for the older generation, their parents and grandparents, because we respected the sacrifices they had made to enable us to grow up during a period that the only choices you had were to work or starve. We can also remember when holidays consisted of one day at Christmas, and maybe a week during the summer, when if you were lucky, you could spend a few days by the seaside. We can also remember when we were told that having large families (more than two) was horrendously bad, but that new technology was going to make life so much easier. We would have much more leisure time, and would even be able to retire early in order to leave jobs for the young.
And do you know what.... We actually enjoyed life, and we enjoyed being there caring for our elders and our children.
The bit I can't remember, is being told that the next generation would be a selfish lot that would begrudge their elders even the very air that the breath, in order that they could have three foreign holidays every year

What a myopic view on life - what do you mean a "worthwhile job" for starters? Affording her own house - don't tell me your blaming the start of the UK house price rise in 1997 on the EU! You reckon many would like to turn the clock back to the work / life scenario that you've described above - I'm not holding my breath! Also I sincerely hope that Bob's aspirations for his daughter is not one of "staying at home looking after the children". Blimey I thought we'd moved on from this traditionalist un-progressive think but evidently not..