Seven Five Year-Olds

Harry [1] is five years old and lives with both his parents and three siblings in a family home, they own, in a remote part of Shetland. His household is busy, noisy, and warm, shaped by shared routines, hand‑me‑downs, and the constant movement that comes with four children growing up together. From the outside, Harry’s family appears to be doing okay: both parents work, the children are settled, and the household is stable. But beneath this stability lies constant juggling and a careful balancing of finances, time, and energy.

Both of Harry’s parents are in paid employment, and together they earn around £34,736 a year [i] , or roughly £668 a week. Once housing costs and other essential outgoings are taken into account, their disposable income is closer to £371 a week [ii]. This places them below the UK median income, even though they are working full‑time as a household. They were fortunate to secure their mortgage when interest rates were lower, which gives them some security, but they have little in the way of savings and no real safety net if circumstances were to change.

Living in Shetland adds pressure that isn’t reflected in income figures alone. Food costs are higher, heating is essential for much of the year, and transport is unavoidable. Because of where they live, both parents need access to a car, and even a short trip to the local shop is a twenty‑minute round journey. These everyday costs quietly erode their income, leaving less room to breathe than their wages might suggest.  It’s unplanned for expenses, such as if the washing machine breaks, that still worry them.

The family is not eligible for free school meals or related support, including the Scottish Child Payment and the Shetland Winter Payment, since Harry’s mum returned to work.  However, Harry gets a free school lunch, like all those who are P1 to P5 in Shetland [iii].  Although their earnings are higher than some families’, the loss of this support means they may have less disposable income than households on lower wages who receive additional help. This creates a sense of running to stand still: working hard, but never quite getting ahead.

Childcare and logistics shape much of daily life. Both parents’ jobs offer limited flexibility, making school hours, holidays, and sickness difficult to manage. The only reason the household functions as smoothly as it does is because Harry’s granny lives nearby and helps with childcare after school on some days. Her support makes work possible, but it also highlights how vulnerable the family would be without informal care.

Despite these pressures, the household is warm and supportive. The children are clothed, fed, and cared for, and there is laughter and routine. The parents can afford some school trips within Shetland and activities like swimming, but everything has to be planned carefully. Having friends over for tea is rare, not just because of the cost of feeding extra mouths, but because time and energy are always stretched.

As the children grow older, new pressures emerge. Activities like swimming, football or gymnastics are important to the children, but they come with costs that go beyond the activity itself - transport, time, kit, and the practicalities of getting there. Harry’s parents have noticed how quickly these things add up, and how easily a missed activity can make a child feel left out.

Harry’s parents are used to stretching themselves to avoid their children feeling different, sometimes putting younger children’s opportunities on hold so older ones don’t miss out.

There are also everyday pressures that don’t have clear labels.  Harry’s parents have noticed that some things seem to cost more effort and money than they do for others -clothes that need replacing sooner, routines that rely on structure and familiarity. None of these things stand out on their own, but together they shape how the family plans, spends, and copes [iv].

Harry himself experiences childhood as mostly secure. He benefits from growing up in a loving family where siblings share toys, stories, and attention. But the limits are there too. Opportunities are shared, rotated, or delayed, and treats are measured against what else might have to give.

The longer‑term effects of financial constraint are visible in the family as well. Harry’s older sister, now a teenager, struggled to find a sense of belonging as a child. Limited transport, few local activities, and parents pulled in many directions meant she often missed out. As she grows older, she feels isolated and uncertain, and her parents worry about the impact this may have on her future.

For Harry, childhood is defined by care without excess and stability without comfort. His family is not in crisis, but neither are they secure. They are working hard to provide a good life in a high‑cost place, always balancing, always hoping that careful planning will be enough.