Committed to What?.... Grrr.

This year I signed Snot-face up at The Boys and Girls Club. I didn’t before because 1) I couldn’t’ afford it and 2) it doesn’t really suit my needs. I do school all day, a half-hour from where I live, and then straight to work, another ten minutes from school. B&G closes at six; I get off work at earliest, 7:30. With San Francisco here now, it’s possible.

I’m already obligated to $34 a week, that’s for two days and even if she doesn’t go. That’s the contract, fine. But… over this break, I was told that if she comes in I have to pay an extra $11… each day. That’s a load of bologna! Why are they allowed to do that? I get that it’s a longer day when they are out of school, but I was out of school too, so she didn’t go until three.

I’m in such a funk that I don’t want Snot-face to go anymore, except that I stand by stability, even with activities. But gee-wiz! It’s bad enough that our needs aren’t served, but paying for them not to be is ridiculous.

Somehow I don’t think Denzel Washington wanted to endorse a program that would rip-off the poor single moms of America. If I recall, his commercials said between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and were geared toward the working poor. We don’t necessarily work 9-to-5s.
I feel stuck in this system built for a white-picket-fence-cookie-cutter world and my little family is just too messy.

2009 Childcare statistics in California