Spain is ahead of the curve when it comes to providing support for single-parent families and large families. I haven't been able to discover the number that would qualify a family for the latter category, but discounts on travel can range anywhere from 20% to 50%. There is a documentation process that involves filling out forms in government offices. In our case, we've elected not to apply, given that we'll be here for a relatively short time.
Just about everywhere we go, we're asked if we have the card. And occasionally, a stranger says something like, "these are all your kids." It's a bit surprising, actually, that we stick out, since we know so many families in the U.S. with many more children. I don't know how accurate this is, but someone on a bus said that when she was growing up (she looked to be in her 40s), families like ours weren't rare, but now things have changed. It does have its drawbacks in Europe: many hotels are for two, not three or four; likewise, apartments with three or four bedrooms catapult you into a higher financial category; and as we've been informed, it makes us targets of pickpockets, who also have a special craving for wallets sitting in American pockets. In other words, discounts here and there for travel seem socially sympathetic, and I'm not just saying that because I have a big family. I'm saying it because companies wind up making more money off big families.
Although I can't speak to the discount for single-parent families, it seems to me that it is a no-brainer. The only question I have about it is whether it results in an attitude toward single mothers that is different than in the U.S., where so many wrongly and repeatedly point the finger at them for social ills. A case in point is the woman in Michigan who won a million dollars from the lottery and is still claiming welfare. Clearly, she is in the wrong, but in this age of multimillion dollar bailouts and multimillion dollar embezzlement schemes, I wish I could see social network slings and arrows being sent in various directions from people who seem to take to much pleasure at times for blaming this person, who in my view is too easy a target. She deserves harsh criticism, but can't we save some of those verbal weapons for those who are at the top of the scheme pyramid as well?
In time, I'll get a better sense of how people feel about these types of large-family and single parent discount programs, given that Spain is in such an economic crisis, but for now, I'll continue to ask for two tables, reserve at least two rooms, and keep my American wallet hidden.
Just about everywhere we go, we're asked if we have the card. And occasionally, a stranger says something like, "these are all your kids." It's a bit surprising, actually, that we stick out, since we know so many families in the U.S. with many more children. I don't know how accurate this is, but someone on a bus said that when she was growing up (she looked to be in her 40s), families like ours weren't rare, but now things have changed. It does have its drawbacks in Europe: many hotels are for two, not three or four; likewise, apartments with three or four bedrooms catapult you into a higher financial category; and as we've been informed, it makes us targets of pickpockets, who also have a special craving for wallets sitting in American pockets. In other words, discounts here and there for travel seem socially sympathetic, and I'm not just saying that because I have a big family. I'm saying it because companies wind up making more money off big families.
Although I can't speak to the discount for single-parent families, it seems to me that it is a no-brainer. The only question I have about it is whether it results in an attitude toward single mothers that is different than in the U.S., where so many wrongly and repeatedly point the finger at them for social ills. A case in point is the woman in Michigan who won a million dollars from the lottery and is still claiming welfare. Clearly, she is in the wrong, but in this age of multimillion dollar bailouts and multimillion dollar embezzlement schemes, I wish I could see social network slings and arrows being sent in various directions from people who seem to take to much pleasure at times for blaming this person, who in my view is too easy a target. She deserves harsh criticism, but can't we save some of those verbal weapons for those who are at the top of the scheme pyramid as well?
In time, I'll get a better sense of how people feel about these types of large-family and single parent discount programs, given that Spain is in such an economic crisis, but for now, I'll continue to ask for two tables, reserve at least two rooms, and keep my American wallet hidden.
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