The Child Benefit debate from a large families point of view.

It's reared it's ugly head once again.
The Government, as we all know are debating cutting child benefit to richer families.The problem exists with the cut off point.
At what level are people deemed "well off".
It's a no win, whatever they decide.
Like most families, we rely on child benefit each month. We did not have loads of children to then get 'loads' of child benefit, and I am equally very careful to make sure it is divided equally between them all. Firstly it is used to ease the strain of the ever increasing (not because of our family size, but rather, rising prices ) food bill, which I hasten to add is well below many of our work colleagues who have two or three children! It is used for school essentials such as coats and shoes, it is also used for nearly all the children's clothing, and presents. It does, directly benefit them. I try to save some for activities and the clothing for these things as well. However this is hard.
I know some friends who openly admit they do not need this. They put it, each month into a savings account for their children's university fees or for when they will leave home. It's quite a sizeable amount by 18, roughly £18,000. Some have felt guilty, and have used this for the benefit of less fortunate families by buying food to donate to food share, toys for the toy collections and donating it to charities. At least, it then goes to those who need it the most.
Child benefit first evolved in post war Britain when the government tried to help parents suffering poverty and food shortages. Having just watched the first episode of BBC's brilliant series ' Call the midwife' based in 1957, I can now understand a little more of the background behind why this was decided. Over the years it has undergone further changes due to economic downturns and government changes.

The sort of cartoons I dread appearing!

The allowance currently stands at £20.30 for a first child and £13.40 for subsequent children, weekly.
If you have just one child and save this amount for 18 years it comes to a staggering £17, 539.20. Quite a sum for a child starting University!
If like us, you have a large family, this too is quite a large sum each month. This is where we come into the 'most hated' category , especially by those who chose not to have children and violently appose such a benefit, they feel, paid from their taxes. To them, I would say:
a. It was your choice NOT  to have children, therefore, not being eligible for this benefit.
b. In your later life, it will be my large family, out at work, paying for you! Without my family, and others having more children, we will not be able to support an increasingly ageing population. Hmm.
There's also the cut off debate. How do you decide who is too well off?
Currently it has been suggested this should be £44,000 for a family with one earner and £43,000 if both partners are working. The papers featured several families. One was a father earning £44,000, whose wife stayed at home to look after the children. The other , had one child and as both parents earned £42,00 each. which meant their joint household income was £84,00, however they were still eligible.
This is clearly unfair, and especially targets single parents, again.
As for all the migrant families, I do feel it unfair they are entitled to all our benefits. As many of you will know, we lived in The Czech Republic for 5 years. In that time we had three more children. One was born there, the other two , twins came back at 13 days old. We were entitled to none of the privileges of their system, nor to any benefits as we were 'foreigners'. We were also not entitled to child benefit from this country as well (this has now changed). We did not think it particularly unfair, and felt, as we were living and working in a foreign country by our own choice this was reasonable. I therefore do not feel we should be paying vast amounts of benefits to people choosing to leave their own country and live in ours.

I don't have the answers, and thankfully I am not in the auspicious task of having to make any policy changes as our government will have to do. I am as grateful for this benefit now with 11 children (8 of whom I receive a benefit for) as I was for my first child. Whatever happens, this benefit has helped us through some tough times and I will be grateful for however long it continues.