Budget 2023: A Widowed Mum’s Wishlist

It's heartening to see the new measures put into place for parents when Budget 2023 was announced earlier this week - it's a sign that the government is realising that raising a family needs more than just a village, it needs as much support as possible financially and from the workplace. I can’t help but wonder though, is this enough?

Of course, the additional financial support is more than welcome, but at the same time the cost of almost everything - food, necessities, school fees just to name a few - has already been going up in price for many years. I remember my daughter’s kindergarten fees going up almost year on year, and this was already 7-8 years ago. I can’t imagine what the fees must be by now. I also remember that it felt like my Working Mother’s Child relief was barely making a dent in what I had to pay. 

If there’s a blessing that came out of Covid, it’s that companies have realised that flexible work is possible and this is another aspect the government is encouraging businesses to adopt even more. There’s no doubt that being able to work from home will cut down the reliance needed on allocated leave to take care of our kids, especially when there are doctors appointments that they need to go to. 

I’ve certainly enjoyed being able to see my daughter when she gets home from school as a check-in to see how things are going, which is something I may not have had the energy or mental space to do as much before while working full days in the office (don’t get me started on how much time commuting takes up - time I could use to spend with my daughter instead!). It also gives us a chance to be able to keep a handle on getting things done for the home that would otherwise have to take a very far back-seat. 

I think the allowances for more parental and paternity leave is definitely a move in the right direction. I’m sure parents have been in the situation when your kid is sick or there’s a school closure which means someone needs to stay home - and we all know either of those happen more often than not and six days just isn’t enough. What I do wish though, is that childcare leave extends beyond the age of 7, because when you’re in a single parent household like mine, it’s sometimes necessary to be at home when there are home-based learning days, and there’s a lot more of those in primary school than kindergarten years. 

And fathers, with more paternity leave, it’s definitely time for you to pull your weight when it comes to looking after the kids. Remember, you’re not babysitting them, you’re being the father and taking care of your own children. 

What else would I like to see? I can't help but wonder why single parents don't receive more help, especially since there's only one person having to handle what's meant to be a two-person load. With only one person to manage it, it can really take a toll. It could just be things like more rebates on income tax or utility bills. Maybe it’s having one block of parental leave that can be taken by either parent - or in a single parent household, the ability to use all of it on your own. 

Really, at the end of the day, we all need to have support in making sure our children are taken care of, and while we’re taking steps in the right direction to get the support we need, there is definitely more that can be done.

Dee Lim is a widow and spends her days working in communications. Her second job is being a mum-boss to a precocious teen with ADHD, which makes life very interesting. She is constantly learning how to be a better mother, thinking about why being a stoic is not a bad thing in this chaotic world, and looking for new crochet patterns to work on.