Time for Parenting...

...because raising children is a full-time job

September 1999 Newsletter

From The Chair; Mothers feel undervalued; Educare = Daycare + Education; Back to work at 12 months; Full Time Mothers AGM and Open Meeting; "Supporting Families": the response; New members write .....; Farewell to the Family?; Your letters

Jill Kirby

As the 20th century draws to a close, it seems a good moment to reflect on the success of Full Time Mothers' campaign. We have come a long way since the day in 1991 when Kathy Gyngell, ex-TV producer and mother of two young sons, gathered a group of women round her kitchen table. Motivated by their concern about the implications of daycare for young children, and passionate in their desire to give mothers at home a public voice, this group founded Full Time Mothers.

Today it is a national Organisation, with members throughout the UK, providing a network and a focus for all those mothers (and fathers) whose job is the upbringing of their children. No longer seen as a minority opinion, we are frequently asked by both local and national media for comment, case histories, or interview material. We believe we have succeeded in giving mothers a voice, and the courage to say 'I'm a full-time mother'. We have also helped to bring about'a much wider appreciation of of the (unpaid) work of a mother. Instead of continually discussing the needs of 'working mothers', politicians and commentators are beginning to recognise the importance of the many women who are not part of the job figures.

With some difficulty, I secured an invitation to the Cabinet Office Women's Unit for the recent launch of 'Voices', the summary of the Unit's findings from its 6-month 'Listening to Women' exercise. You can be sure that I took the opportunity to convey the views of FTM to the Unit's Director, Fiona Reynolds, as well as a number of her advisers. See below for a full report.

If you live within reach of London, I do hope you will come to our 1999 AGM and Open Meeting on 25 November. The theme for our speakers will be pre-school education. Targets for three and four year olds seem to many of us a step too far. In the race for measurable achievement, are we losing sight of the needs of the child? Come and find out, and let us have your views. Full details inside.