My husband got notice of a new tax code today. It took into account various criteria, except that he is married to a chocoholic with expensive taste (only the FairTrade 70% stuff will do) - or really that that he is married to anyone for that matter!
The fact that there are no longer any significant tax benefits to being married has been bemoaned for years, and has been seen by many as a sign that the government doesn't value marriage. That sentiment seemed to be confirmed last week when Harriet Harman was quoted as saying that marriage is irrelevant to public policy.
Apparently her comments led to accusations that Labour was trying to destroy traditional family life in Britain and, in the process, condemning children to lives of poverty in single-parent households. Whilst I'm not really a political animal and Newlyweds-uk is not a sounding ground for party politics I've got to say that I think some newspaper reporting contains a lot of 'tosh'.
A new Civitas/Ipsos Mori survey of young people reveals that seven in ten 20-35 year olds do want to marry. And the number one reason for this (47%) is because they want to make a commitment. In fact just two per cent cited tax reasons for wanting to marry.
Despite the fact that the average cost of a modern day wedding is more than we paid for our first house, people do still aspire to marry. And, though the average family is much smaller than in our Grandparent's day, the desire to have children is still as strong as ever - whether people are in committed partnerships or not.
Maybe this is Nature's way of ensuring the survival of the species!
If you happen to be an early riser you may be privileged enough to hear the dawn chorus. I used to think this cacophony of sound was a celebration of the new day but have recently discovered that it is actually a mixture of mating calls and territorial sounds, warning other birds to keep off their patch.
Warning humans off too, no doubt. This is unneccessary in our garden as we do make a lot of allowances for wildlife. Last year we couldn't sit on our wooden swing as a bird had built a nest under the arched roof, so it was declared out of bounds until autumn. This weekend we discovered a blue tit had built a nest in the wood-burning chimenea. We had a sneaky peep while she was out hunting and were entranced by the little writhing bodies and wide-open yellow beaks. We are now keeping well away for fear of her abandoning the nest, though she is very diligently meeting the demands of her brood. A working mother in every sense of the word.
Jesus said:"Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life?"
Governments and policies may come and go but the really 'traditional' values will always be with us. We can learn a lot from birds: to sing every morning; desire to attract a mate (someone to love and be loved by); to build a nest; to rear our young and - when the time is right - teach them to fly. Apparently the best things we can give our children are 'roots and wings' but these are free gifts, borne out of love and commitment, and are not budget dependent. So let's stop fretting about money...
