Friday
It’s a challenge, but it’s worth it to see them happy and doing well.
Dear Diary,
Thank God it’s Friday! Weekdays always mean an early start. I get up and make lunches for the kids and get them dressed and ready for school. It takes a while to get to school since we’re taking public transport. Once I can start working again and get a steady income, I hope to get a car to make it easier for us to get from A to B. But, like most things, it’s out of my reach right now to buy a car and pay for insurance and petrol.
This morning, I got my two older kids off first to their primary school. It isn’t as close to home as I’d like. They go to school near where we used to live, before we became homeless. Later, when everything else got so unstable, I wanted them at least to have the normality of staying in the same school with the friends they’ve always known. It’s a challenge now to travel to their primary school, but it’s worth it to see them happy and doing well there. After I dropped them off, I brought my youngest to preschool. Then, before I ran my errands and did the housework, I had a doctor’s appointment. If I get sick, I can’t guarantee that my family or friends can look after the kids. So it’s important that I stay on top of my health and make sure I am well.
I’ve been thinking again about feeling stuck in my circumstances, and what I might be able to do about that.
I feel frustrated because my family and I would have so many more opportunities if childcare was more affordable in this country.
Childcare needs to be functional for working parents. If there were afterschool activities available for the kids, I’d have enough time to be able to work or go to college on a full-time basis. I’d have to find a job where I’m not terrified of being sacked if I’ve to take time off if the kids are sick. Even before I was a lone parent, it was usually me who was expected to pick up the kids from school if they were sick. I also don’t want to move heaven and earth to get back into a job that doesn’t even respect the fact that I have other responsibilities outside work. Employers need to be flexible and also provide the security of guaranteeing a certain number of hours per week.
I’ll think about this more over the weekend. But now it’s Friday and I’m going to pat myself on the back for getting through another week! I’m going to have some treats and read a book to wind down for the evening before another early start in the morning.
Talk soon,
Faith
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