I won't rise to the bait in respect of the comment about how why I have three children if I can't afford it but will say three things;
1)My children will be working their butts off to keep you in a pension.
You might want to remember that before
questioning their right to exist in the first place. They won't have free university education like most people had and will have to work harder and longer just to keep a basic standard of living.
2) I have never expected the state to subsidise my family but I do object to my family subsidising the state just so that we can have the privilege of working and of subsidising the delivery of an early years curriculum for young babies. My partner and I are therefore paying to work. But then you'd call us scroungers if we didn't, so we can't win.
3) I'd better not say no. 3, just assume an expletive against the uninformed diatribes from the bigoted.

People get tax credits that are based on income, childcare costs and number of children. As someone who has paid and who pays tax, I see this as simply getting back what I have paid in, at a time when it's particularly challenging financially. This thread is about the costs and benefits of working rather than not working, and overall most of us do struggle on and work even if financially we operate at barely breakeven.