Mothers on the Bus

A controversial topic in this country is the government's support of teenage mothers. Many view the system as rewarding women for becoming pregnant. It is quite interesting because women qualify for no benefits if they marry, however if they remain single they receive a council house (government paid housing) and they qualify for more spacious housing with each child they have. They also receive monthly stipends to cover food and other expenses, with no expectation for them to ever work…that is until their children reach a certain age and they are then given less benefits. From what I've been told this rule results in women just continuing to have children in order to avoid working.

I see these "benefit mothers" with their numerous children on the bus each morning. They seem to be a perfect example of how NOT to raise a child. For example, this morning I saw a mother feeding her daughter salt & vinegar chips and having her drink Lilt (similar to Mountain Dew) through a straw. It's sad to see any child having a breakfast like that, but it was even worse in this case because the child was only 2 or 3 years old. Another example were two little boys who appeared to be about five years old, discussing the movie Kill Bill which they had watched the night before. What parent lets their kids watch Kill Bill??