Poor Kids on BBC1

[MrsHedgehog]

Did anyone see Poor Kids on BBC1 last night? It's so sad that there are children living like this in the UK. However, there's a limit to my sympathy when I see some of the families saying they can barely afford to eat but they have huge widescreen TVs, massive dogs, play stations and eat takeaways. I understand that they barely have enough to live on but they could improve their situations a little bit by spending their money a bit more wisely.

 

[Lashes85]

I didn't watch it. But I totally agree with you! Many of them have there priorities all wrong!! X

 

[emzul]

I didnt see this, but I can imagine!

I know not all people on low incomes (or benefits) are like this, but you do get some that seem to say they cant afford anything, yet they do seem to have more "luxuries" than you would imagine?

x

 

[Broody1976]

I watched this last night & it was heartbreaking.

I really felt for those kids.

I take your point though about having little sympathy for them when any money they have is spent on the wrong things. The little girl who had 2 sisters and lived in what can only be descibed as sqalour (sp?) was awful and yet her mum had these massive fake acrylic nails on? How much did they cost to maintain and were they the reason she couldn't clean the house?

The little boy Sam also touched my heart, I found it all really upsetting

 

[MrsHedgehog]

There was one little girl who said, other kids when they're bored get to do puzzles or colouring in but because we're poor we just have to go in and watch TV! I think a puzzle book or colouring book costs less than a TV! They're complaining that there's nothing to do in the summer holidays but most places organise free activities for kids in the summer, you just have to look around a bit. I don't have much sympathy for people who don't make any effort to improve their own lives.

 

[Aidan's Mummy]

I have all the sympathy for the children as they didn't choose to be born into a fmaily that struggle for whatever reason x

 

[lynnikins]

most of the time those big tv's xbox's etc..are on BNPL schemes or weekly payment from places like "Bright house" which rip the customers off big time

Its sad and i think at school there needs to be some teaching in proper money managment to prevent the next generation following the mistakes of their parents

 

[MrsHedgehog]

I watched this last night & it was heartbreaking.

I really felt for those kids.

I take your point though about having little sympathy for them when any money they have is spent on the wrong things. The little girl who had 2 sisters and lived in what can only be descibed as sqalour (sp?) was awful and yet her mum had these massive fake acrylic nails on? How much did they cost to maintain and were they the reason she couldn't clean the house?

The little boy Sam also touched my heart, I found it all really upsetting

Your right, it's the kids who I feel sorry for. They don't have much hope if they have parents like this. They don't have much money but there's no reason why the parents can't keep their houses a bit cleaner and tidier. It's all about making the most of what you have got rather than focusing on what you haven't got.

 

[MrsMalowey]

I agree, i watched a program called Fast Food baby a little while ago and this one girl on there fed her two children takeaways for EVERY meal! How on earth does she afford that? We would struggle to have one more than once a week (not that we do that anyway!) And she was complaining about having no money.

 

[MrsHedgehog]

most of the time those big tv's xbox's etc..are on BNPL schemes or weekly payment from places like "Bright house" which rip the customers off big time

Its sad and i think at school there needs to be some teaching in proper money managment to prevent the next generation following the mistakes of their parents

That would definitely be a good idea. Something should be done to try and break the cycle.

 

[Maman]

ooh im off for a break in glossing to watch this now! sounds interesting. I watched a similar programme a while back and tehre were these two black girls and their mum and they had no bed, just shared mattress on a floor that werent carpeted and no curtains... yet the mother was overweight and they had 2 massive dogs...

my mum once lived on stale bargain bin crumpets for a week so she could afford clarks school shoes for me. (shes never touched a crumpet since!)

priorities, it costs nothing to be clean either.

 

[emzul]

ooh im off for a break in glossing to watch this now! sounds interesting. I watched a similar programme a while back and tehre were these two black girls and their mum and they had no bed, just shared mattress on a floor that werent carpeted and no curtains... yet the mother was overweight and they had 2 massive dogs...

my mum once lived on stale bargain bin crumpets for a week so she could afford clarks school shoes for me. (shes never touched a crumpet since!)

priorities, it costs nothing to be clean either.

Ha I am on a permanant break at work LOL havent done a thing since 9!! da,m you BnB for being so addictive!!

Ahh bless your Mum! Thats what being a parent is all about, maiking sacrifices for the sake of your kids!! xx

 

[CouldThisBeIt]

I'd had similar thoughts-that the food most were eating was horrible, the girls were eating sweets all the time-that was awful! Sam though, I felt for them. Still, the house was so dirty-why? And the girl in Glasgow in the damp flat, I felt for her too. It was nice to see them moved at the end.

 

[charxxx]

I agree, I feel sorry for the children because they didnt ask to live that way.. I'm sure they would rather have a clean house and be happy with little things rather than televisions and whether or not their mums nails look nice? Lol.. Its just really sad

I really hope that kids like that grow to want to change though and make something of themselves so that they gain something from living that way I think it would be hard though..

My dad grew up like that when he was little.. His mum used to steal food from the market for them to be able to eat.. But both his parents would always have what they needed and him and his brothers and sisters didnt.. He grew up worked really hard and moved out with my mum and hes always said to me and my sister that bringing us up he always wanted us to have what he never had as a child ever since hes done really well for himself xx

 

[sophusx]

I couldn't watch it, I would have been an emotional wreck - corrie made me cry the other day I had to leave the room ! Anything in with children/babies is a no go area ! lol !

Reading what you have put though, it frustrates the hell out of me. I heard of a lady just having kids over and over again just so she gets more money off the social she now has 6 - she has a HUGE tv, house, dogs galore - but her kids bless them are nit infested, they have colds all the time and are fed nuggets and chips everyday ! Really angers me when they could do so much more to help her kids, in my eyes she doesn't deserve to be a mother !!

x

 

[lesleyann]

I have not watched it but i will on demand it later, it sounds horrible yet intresting to watch at the same time.. We have a big tv but we brought it when we had spare money lol about 2years ago now lol

 

[emzul]

I saw a magazine article once about a couple who lived on a "rough" estate and they were quite literally the ONLY people who worked. Then they interviewed another couple who had kids but neither worked (stay at home Mum thats fair enough, but the Dad had no reason to not work, he infact said he refused BECAUSE he would be worse off working!)

The non-working couple came out BETTER OFF than the couple who worked Full Time, and they could afford more "luxuries" too. They had Sky, a big screen TV and loads of other gadgets, ate take-aways 4 or 5 times a week and the Mother was always "out shopping or getting her hair and nails done"

Meanwhile, the working couple were saying how they couldnt afford to have a baby they so badly wanted, as they had too much to pay out and had just enough to live off and put a tiny bit into savings each month.

I just think its so backwards for people who dont work to be better off?? (I am NOT having a go at stay at home Mums, as child care is extortionate these days, OR people on benefits in general) just the select few who choose not to work as it is the easier option not to.

xx

 

[lynnikins]

it just annoys me caus the parents arent doing anything but sitting on benifits theres stuff they could be doing around their homes etc...

we sold our tv and dont have one we have been given most of the funiture we now have as we had accured debt from our "lifestyle" before we had kids which we have to work hard now to pay back but i can still keep my house clean and clothes on my kids if i cant afford to put the heating on, the only "luxury" we have really that equats to a monthly bill is the laptop and internet connection all our other bills are strict nessceity or debt repayments. the week before OH gets paid each month is extremely tight and often that week we have little food in the house but we sacrifice things to make it happen ive not had a haircut since EJ was 3 months old and I cut OH's hair and the boys hair myself, ive never in my life paid for a manicure or pedicure or waxing, i havent brought new clothes since i brought a hoodie while away in Feb.

there are means and ways around alot of struggles esp when you have kids that mean your kids dont have to live like that. i checked the figures and we are below the poverty line as a family but we manage to get by and still afford to take the bus occasionally and have days out as a family even if its to the park or walk down the riverside.

sorry for the rant i just get a bit sick of people saying they cant do any better when they arent trying to do better

 

[MrsHedgehog]

it just annoys me caus the parents arent doing anything but sitting on benifits theres stuff they could be doing around their homes etc...

we sold our tv and dont have one we have been given most of the funiture we now have as we had accured debt from our "lifestyle" before we had kids which we have to work hard now to pay back but i can still keep my house clean and clothes on my kids if i cant afford to put the heating on, the only "luxury" we have really that equats to a monthly bill is the laptop and internet connection all our other bills are strict nessceity or debt repayments. the week before OH gets paid each month is extremely tight and often that week we have little food in the house but we sacrifice things to make it happen ive not had a haircut since EJ was 3 months old and I cut OH's hair and the boys hair myself, ive never in my life paid for a manicure or pedicure or waxing, i havent brought new clothes since i brought a hoodie while away in Feb.

there are means and ways around alot of struggles esp when you have kids that mean your kids dont have to live like that. i checked the figures and we are below the poverty line as a family but we manage to get by and still afford to take the bus occasionally and have days out as a family even if its to the park or walk down the riverside.

sorry for the rant i just get a bit sick of people saying they cant do any better when they arent trying to do better

I so agree with you on this. I believe there's always something you can do to improve your situation. There's no reason why these people can't at least keep their houses cleaner. They can't find work but they could be spending their time being more productive. Maybe it's easy for me to say as I had a much better upbringing. We had a below average income but lived in the countryside and had a good, hard working family. These people though think that the only solution to everything is to have more money. Even if they had more though, they'd still be in the same situation.

 

[lynnikins]

that is quite true lol we had more money for a while when i was working and didnt have childcare costs and were paying less on housing but being young and in our case a bit foolish we didnt plan ahead as well as we thought and wasted that opportunity