today tonight

[mothertobein2007]

i would like all young mums out there to stand up and speak out i emailed today tonight after see the ad this morning they are young mothers complaining that 1000 a fornight is not enough for them to live and why go to work when they get money for nothing..(well not nothing they look after there kids but you know) i just wanted some young mums to email them and say your point of view not all young mums are out here are bums.....please speak out.....i hate when some make a bad name for the rest....:)

[NibbleCurlynBub]

I wouldn't.. Purely because the money IS NOT enough, however I refuse to complain about it and have my age slapped on as a label to explain it.

The single parent pension is not enough, however it is given out to ALL single parents regardless of age, so why should only young mothers complain about it?

[cocobambino]

Wow 1000 a fortnight I think thats alot, thats 500 a week some families dont even make that, when I was a single mum to 1 child I used to get around $650 per fortnight and I lived..

having said that...

I think the single mums that whinge about this and make a rucus about fo give young mums a bad name yes, and they shouldnt publicly complain because yes it makes all the young mums look bad and they wonder why there is such a bad rapport out there about young mums

[Luna Lovegood]

My best friend is a single mother and she does a brilliant job. She doesn't get enough money from centrelink to allow he to do things like fix her car, but she is smart- she works 6 hours a week from home to TRADE her skills for his skills.

Anyway- I agree centrelink doesnt pay enough to stay at home mums. It's so expensive to live. I wish I could be a stay at home mum, but we couldnt afford for me to stop working, I am the main earner in our house hold. Not all mums are trying to bum off the government, and they do a good job raising their kids...

I think its great you emailed them...more should.

[~ElectricPink~]

I watched that report tonight...grrr that annoyed me! Yes you can't exactly afford many luxuries on a single parent pension (and it sure would be nice to get a bit extra), but they should feel lucky that in our country we are privileged enough to be paid to stay home and raise our children, without the pressure of finding employment until they are in school.
That said, I do kind of understand them saying that it's easier to stay on the pension- as once you are working you have to be able to afford daycare, pay full price for medicine, transport etc. Unless you are lucky enough to get a well paying job (which most young mothers find hard to achieve with their lack of education, and society prejudice), then you end up working your butt off and missing your childs development just to rake in a few extra dollars a week.
BUT they didn't have to make us all sound like whingeing bludgers!!!!! I would love to be able to go out into the workforce, however I don't think my son is ready for that yet, and ultimately you need to do whats best for your child. And I feel glad that I have the opportunity to stay at home with him. I guess tightening your finances a bit is just the sacrifice you have to make. Maybe these girls need to learn how to budget, or stop spending the money on ciggies :laughing:

[sockstealingpoltergeist]

i would like all young mums out there to stand up and speak out i emailed today tonight after see the ad this morning they are young mothers complaining that 1000 a fornight is not enough for them to live and why go to work when they get money for nothing..(well not nothing they look after there kids but you know) i just wanted some young mums to email them and say your point of view not all young mums are out here are bums.....please speak out.....i hate when some make a bad name for the rest....:)
I would rather email them about showing such a ridiculous story in the first place.

The truth that any sole parent on a pension is living bellow the poverty line. What's not to whinge about?????

I am not a single mother any more, but when I was I didn't get $1000 Per fortnight. I didn't have a car, a phone, no luxuries at all. Yes I fed my and clothed my daughter but it was tough.

Perhaps this show should get some integrity and show how tough it really is, show the struggling sole parents and what they arn't getting! Paying rent on a small home in most places costs more then $250 PW.

[~ElectricPink~]

Also I am going to be doing TAFE by correspondance for the next few yrs, until my son goes to school.....technically I could just do "nothing" and get paid for it. But I want to be able to broaden my career opportunies, so that when its time for me to work I can get into something decent to support my son and I, and give us a good secure future. I'm in no way against mothers who dont work or study for the first five years of a childs life, being a parent is the hardest job you can have! Just hate when other young mums make us all look like no hopers grrrrrr.......

[ellasmummy9]

I was in that report!!!:wave:
I am part of a young mums group that invited today tonight to our forum to finally have a story on there with a positive spin on young mums. unfortunatley there were a few girls not from our group (you know which ones) who decided to steal the spotlight and confirm everything which we were trying to disprove.
You have to believe me, and hopefully you heard me. we are not all like that and the whole report was not what we were hoping for.
The girls in The young mums group are really great parents, who did not get enough air time to share their valid points. Today Tonight cut so many positive comments from the girls, and chose to focus on the negative (as they so often do).
please do not think that we contacted Today Tonight so they could run a story about us being hard done by financially, and making a pathetic attempt to get more money from the Government.
We simply wanted to change peoples views on young mums, saying that we are good parents with a lot to offer, and shouldn't be judged.
It was not supposed to have anything to do with money!:mad:

btw- I am 'Holly' with the daughter Ella, incase you were wondering which one i was

[kts]

Today tonight is ridiculous!!!!!
Yet again they managed to find a couple of big mouths to exploit on tv for another stupid story.
No matter what the subject is they can seem to find the most inappropriate spokespeople much quicker and easier than they can do some proper research and get the real story or even the other extreme to offer some perspective.
I'm not a teen mother or on welfare, but I can take a good guess that like a lot of working families, pensioners, retirees, students, parents and single workers- we'd all live a little easier with a bit more money :) What kind of revelation was that supposed to be?!?
I did catch a few minutes of the story- ****ty tabloid journalism as usual- Congratulations Today Tonight!

[~ElectricPink~]

Thats ok Holly....I kinda figured that they would have done that. Controversy sells :S Sorry I didn't mean that you ALL made us look bad....just a few of the comments said by a couple of the girls didn't exactly represent us young mums very well!

[Chunkydunks]

And good on you for trying to do that because there are many more resposible young mother out there then there are those that just want to bludge and whinge. Unfortunately we've seen far too many times where today tonight have turned a story around to make it what they want. I'm assuming the girls you refered to are the 2 that called themselves "super mummies" and were showed the most??

[veve]

I was in that report!!!
I am part of a young mums group that invited today tonight to our forum to finally have a story on there with a positive spin on young mums. unfortunatley there were a few girls not from our group (you know which ones) who decided to steal the spotlight and confirm everything which we were trying to disprove.
You have to believe me, and hopefully you heard me. we are not all like that and the whole report was not what we were hoping for.
The girls in The young mums group are really great parents, who did not get enough air time to share their valid points. Today Tonight cut so many positive comments from the girls, and chose to focus on the negative (as they so often do).
please do not think that we contacted Today Tonight so they could run a story about us being hard done by financially, and making a pathetic attempt to get more money from the Government.
We simply wanted to change peoples views on young mums, saying that we are good parents with a lot to offer, and shouldn't be judged.
It was not supposed to have anything to do with money!:mad:

btw- I am 'Holly' with the daughter Ella, incase you were wondering which one i was
omg .. holly ... :hugs: you are the only one I remember from the story ... :laughing:

I watched the story thinking .. omg .. that Holly chick is the only one that seems to know what she is doing .... :yelclap: well done hon .. you came across as a great mum

(I love the letters on the wall - Ella's name - looks funky :D)

and of course TT wouldn't have told you what the story was about :p they never do .. sly buggars ..

xx
Jen

[ellasmummy9]

just a few of the comments said by a couple of the girls didn't exactly represent us young mums very well!


I completly agree!! The girls who said that were not part of the group. They did not understand what we were trying to achieve, they were invited as guests to listen to some of our stories (none of which were shown) then decided to go on about their own views, and of course were snapped up by Today Tonight to have seperate interviews. It was edited so wrongly, and if i had not been a part of it, i would have been disgusted with the whole thing.
It was maybe 3 girls, who had most air time, and nothing good to say, whereas there were at least 15 other mums there who had valid points and ideas, i know personally that I talked about how I was going back to TAFE and i thought that for me, there was no need for more money, although some who don't have as much family support may need more.
instead they focused on the people who are getting over $1000 (which we arn't all getting) saying how hard it was, while eating kfc, drinking expensive drinks, and smoking.

i know how it looked, and on behalf of the young mums group i am really sorry to all young mothers who would obviously be offended by it.
It was done with the intention of gaining respect from others, and them understanding how hard it is being a young mum,(NOT FINANCIALLY but emotionally)
but after that report i doubt anyone will give us the time of day.:(

[Ashleigh<3]

Holly-:hugs:

You are too kind to come in here and apologise when it is not your fault. It's really nice of you to be keeping so many young mothers in your best interests.

I can't believe TT. :mad:

[ellasmummy9]

omg (I love the letters on the wall - Ella's name - looks funky :D)

Jen

haha they were left over from her birthday party, i was worried when i saw them because i thought people might think it was some kind of shrine!
thanks for your comment! it's good to know i didn't come off like some of the other girls!:)

[kts]

Holly, I'm sorry that your point of view got lost in the media beat up.

I just wanted to say "Well Done" to all the young mums who are raising happy well adjusted kids- Today Tonight will never do it! :yelclap:

[~ElectricPink~]

Ah yes that's right....there was one girl on there that seemed a bit more mature and not "whingey". Was that you?? I hope so! I was quite impressed with the size of your mums group too....I go to a young mums group but there's usually only a few of us, even though there are ALOT of young mums in our area, and we encourage them to come along. Good to see there's a lot of support there. Don't worry about what they turned the report into, I guess people will think what they want to of young parents regardless.....oh I hate Today Tonight!

[~Temet Nosce~]

Somebody should do a report on how sh!t today tonight is :mad: I reckon they just picked their reporters up off the street too, useless they are :rolleyes: and anoying!!

[tahnee11]

I was in that report!!!:wave:
I am part of a young mums group that invited today tonight to our forum to finally have a story on there with a positive spin on young mums. unfortunatley there were a few girls not from our group (you know which ones) who decided to steal the spotlight and confirm everything which we were trying to disprove.
You have to believe me, and hopefully you heard me. we are not all like that and the whole report was not what we were hoping for.
The girls in The young mums group are really great parents, who did not get enough air time to share their valid points. Today Tonight cut so many positive comments from the girls, and chose to focus on the negative (as they so often do).
please do not think that we contacted Today Tonight so they could run a story about us being hard done by financially, and making a pathetic attempt to get more money from the Government.
We simply wanted to change peoples views on young mums, saying that we are good parents with a lot to offer, and shouldn't be judged.
It was not supposed to have anything to do with money!:mad:

btw- I am 'Holly' with the daughter Ella, incase you were wondering which one i was

I never actually saw the show (mum was visiting and wanted to watch ACA) but I saw the ad and thought how ridiculous and shameful to young mums. I just wrote to TT to express my disbelief after having read what you wrote. It is disgraceful that they aired so many negative answers from those few girls just to boost ratings. I guess it wouldn't be tv if they showed the truth:no:

[cocobambino]

I have had the same problem with TT Holly they turn your story around to make you look bad and get people offside so they get their desired outcome and a higher rating

[our little treasures]

Holly You don't need to say sorry:no: You were fantastic and I also loved Ella's wall.

[NibbleCurlynBub]

Wow 1000 a fortnight I think thats alot, thats 500 a week some families dont even make that, when I was a single mum to 1 child I used to get around $650 per fortnight and I lived..
When over half of that is spent on rent, it really is not much. :no:

[cocobambino]

When over half of that is spent on rent, it really is not much. :no:

Wow 500 a fortnight in rent would have been my whole pay almost, I lived in a nice unit for 90 a week

[our little treasures]

I know and think of what our old age pensioners are on and how they are coping!!

[NibbleCurlynBub]

Wow 500 a fortnight in rent would have been my whole pay almost, I lived in a nice unit for 90 a week
Hmm and I rent from a friend too.

Rent is not cheap any more. :no:

The first rental I lived in was a little dingy but it was a 2x1 HOUSE for only $140 per week.

Nothing but student accommodation is close to that price now.

So you see why it is no longer enough.. Just over $200 to pay bills and food and whatever else...

[cocobambino]

Hmm and I rent from a friend too.

Rent is not cheap any more. :no:

The first rental I lived in was a little dingy but it was a 2x1 HOUSE for only $140 per week.

Nothing but student accommodation is close to that price now.

So you see why it is no longer enough.. Just over $200 to pay bills and food and whatever else...

Guess it depends where you live too. You can get alot of cheap rentals here, when hubby and I rented we had a huge 3 bedroon newly renovated house with a mad backyard for 130pw. I assume melb in 10 times more expensive, wow I dont know how they do it then

[NibbleCurlynBub]

Check out rental prices for WA suburbs...

[Milktini]

I pay 290 a week in Qld Brissy.. which is resonably priced compared to other rentals, although I could pay around 200 if I was to move to a more lower grade suburb..