Madam, Here we are a week and a half into the school summer holidays and I (along with many other working parents I'm sure) am tearing my hair out trying to find things to keep my 12 year-old daughter amused.
We have made enquiries to try and find activities in Ross and have come up with absolutely nothing. The government appears hell bent on 'getting women back to work' but are not offering any positive solutions to help them once they are employed.
There are very few employers who are able to offer working hours between 9am and 3.30pm with 13 weeks holiday per year, so what do we do with our children whilst we are at work? If I lived in a city I would be able to choose from a number of holiday clubs offering a range of activities to suit a range of interests, but living in a rural area parents have to take their holidays at separate times so that one or the other can be at home looking after the children, or we have to rely on family and friends to look after them. Many children are left alone for periods of time which is when they get into mischief.
The government can't have it both ways, if they want us to work they must assist us to care for our children during the ridiculously long summer holidays and other school breaks.
Jeanie Sherwood, Ross