SLIMFERN:
quote:
When I used to work in the local shop we used to have a young girl of 5 come in for her families weekly allowance of milk, 7 pints to carry home on her own, very often in the dark & very often in bare feet, (they weren't just round the corner either), had to be said - I told her to tell her Mum she was not allowed in the shop anymore without shoes & that if she had a problem to come see me! Utterly disgraceful imo! (mother did come & words were exchanged) Little girl only came for her sweets from then on, after school! A dear little soul she was.
I have 5 & yes they entertained each other, but would never expect them to do a parents job!
That is disgusting slim, (the story about the little girl.. )and as for the post that cupcake posted, sadly there are more people than we realise who do this. (Use their kids for parenting.) Of course, having 4 to 10 kids or whatever, and having them babysit the younger ones occasionally, and have them entertain each other at times, and assist in household tasks
occasionally is fine, but there are many people who do use the older children as servants frankly, and the mothers don't seem to do
anything. As has been said, don't have children if you can't/can't be bothered to look after them yourself. Don't use your older children to do
YOUR job.
When I used to live on a big estate, I regularly saw kids as young as 4 or 5 walking across the estate to the chip shop to fetch the family's tea, (sometimes in their jammies,) and wander off into the darkness back home (sometimes a ten minute walk,) because the lazy slob of a mother couldn't be bothered to cook a decent meal, or get off her fat arse and go to the chippy herself.
That's only been the last few months though and I have to say it's very rare as I do a weekly shop costing a fortune coz of all the things that "appear" in my trolley. 
