Being Mum: I know how tough it is

 

The greatest joy I have ever experienced was the day I gave birth to my daughter, Kitty. It is, of course, a cliché, but from the moment we met her, my husband John and I fell deeply and madly in love.

 

Kitty is now eighteen months old. She is a toddler – walking, running, climbing, pointing, observing and doing her best to talk. I couldn’t imagine our lives without her. No different to any other mum out there, my child is the most important thing my life and like every other mum out there, I want the very best for her.

 

I am contesting the upcoming general election as a Fianna Fáil candidate in Dublin Fingal. I fundamentally believe that there must be more female representation in Leinster House. Without a greater level of female representation, the concerns of women and their families will continue to be side-lined and ignored.

 

Childcare is a massive cost which my husband and I face every month and I know we are not alone in that. Childcare costs in Ireland are the highest in the EU and take up to, on average, 35% of the family budget. Many mums and dads are forced to either give up a job or reduce hours to balance caring for their child or children along with their jobs.

 

When a parent decides to re-enter the workforce after spending some time out to care for their family, they are faced with the prospect of a prohibitive childcare bill. I hear this issue every day as I meet parents at school gates and on doorsteps. 

 

 

Fianna Fáil is the only party with a realistic plan for making childcare more affordable. We will introduce a childcare tax credit which will see up to €2,000 a year per child refunded to parents. This also allows parents choice in the type of childcare suitable for their children whether that’s in a crèche or with a child-minder. In addition, we will double the home carer’s tax credit to €2,000 to help stay at home parents. We will also extend maternity leave by four weeks up to 30 weeks as we understand that the time with your newborn child is precious.

 

Many women will develop a mental illness during pregnancy or during the first year following birth of their child. This can have severe consequences for those affected, their partners and their children. However, there is a shortfall in antenatal and postnatal mental health care currently in Ireland and this requires urgent attention.

 

We are committed to addressing this and we will ensure that any new and/or expectant mother that experiences mental health difficulties will get the specialist services they need by making it a priority in the health system.

In a few short years Kitty will be going to school. It is a major milestone in every child’s, and indeed their parents, life. I want to ensure that Kitty, her classmates and all our children can achieve to the best of their ability.

 

For this to happen we need to hire more teachers, allocate more resource hours for children who need extra help, and make the capital funding available so schools can undertake remedial works as required, without asking parents to reach into their already overstretched purses. I am passionate about education and I fundamentally believe that every single child should have the opportunity to thrive and achieve.  

I want Kitty to grow up in an Ireland where women and children are central to how our country is governed and where their voices are heard. Polling day is quickly approaching and I look forward to seeing more female faces in the Dáil chamber, mine hopefully among them!

 

But most of all I look forward to spending more quality time with my beautiful, blonde-haired, happy little girl.