Juggling work and kids

Marymoore · 31-07-2021 8:12pm #1

how do working parents get their kids to school and still get into their work for 9am with big commutes?

noplacehere · 31-07-2021 8:13pm

Childcare, childminder or creche

Big Bag of Chips · 31-07-2021 8:26pm

Yep it all comes down to your childcare. Or reducing working hours.

I currently work part time and drop my primary school children to school bus at 8:10. Drop to secondary at 8:30 and am in work by 9. I then finish at 2:30 to collect primary children from bus and then do the secondary school run after that.

It all comes down to paying someone else to do it for you, or reducing your working hours to be able to do it yourself.

shesty · 31-07-2021 8:44pm

Juggling hours.I start at 8, finish at 4 to pick uo from minder at 4.30pm. I left the house at 7.30.I deliberately got a job a number of years ago that is only a 30 min drive away.Husband dropped kids at 8.30 to local preschool who bring the kids to primary school for 8.50.His job is an hour away, he doesn't get home til 6.30pm.(all pre-covid obviously).Pick ups were done by a combination of me running out on lunch to collect kids and work from home for the afternoon, or a friend picking up and dropping to our minder for the afternoon.

For many parents I know, the reality was that the big commute had to go for at least one of the parents.One parent gave up work, went part time or similar.Some use a creche to do the drop-off, others stagger hours like us. I also only work 4 days. What I lose in salary would mostly have gone to the minder anyway if I worked the 5th day.

Neyite · 05-08-2021 11:36pm

For us, one of us was kind of flexible but in practice that meant being logged in from home but also having to go to the office after dinner or logging in remotely until 10 pm to get the work done.

Then a good creche that was open from 7.30 to 6 pm.

it's tough but it's not forever though. When son went to school we had his aunt/ Gran doing after school care, with OH doing 2 hrs at home before school, then into the office for another 7 hrs. And now thanks to covid we both worked from home since March 2020 and OH continuing to Wfh with me due to go back in the next few months.

catrionanic · 16-08-2021 1:00pm

I went part-time and I now work weekends and Mondays. Grandparents take the kids on a Monday and they're with my husband on the weekends. With the price of childcare, this was the best option for us.

fits · 18-08-2021 2:19pm

I am currently fantasising about a job where I can work mornings. Back full time since May and finding it hard.

BlazingSaddler · 18-08-2021 2:55pm

Very rare to have both parents working full time unless at least one of them is very very flexible. Our eldest was in a crèche full time and then after school club until she was about 8. Going part time was the best thing I did as it allowed a much better work life balance, the kids can now do their activities (swimming etc) in the afternoon, I get to drop and collect from school, they can play with friends. So much better for all of us than dropping to crèche at 7.30 and collecting at 6pm

shesty · 19-08-2021 1:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117771712#Comment_117771712

That's tough Fits - I don't know how you are doing it. I work a 4 day week and that's plenty. Can you apply for parental leave after a year?

As Blazing saddler said, at least one of the parents does need to be pretty flexible or at least quite close to home, as it is not easy.

2Mad2BeMad · 19-08-2021 1:17pm

Missus starts at 7.30 out the door, I drop the little lad to crech for 8 and start at 9 it's a shortish commute but pre covid I just about made it in time every morning. She collects him at 5pm. he's starting school next year so we Havnt got a clue how that's going to work out.

Honestly if one of us could afford to stop working I'd prefer it, I hate the idea of someone else spending more time with my kid then me/my partner during the week. Ya creche is great for them and all but missing all the valuable time of them being little and having great imaginations is painful

On top of that she wants a 2nd one 'soon' haha

The Mighty Quinn · 19-08-2021 1:31pm

I'm reading this thread a bit like 🙈🙉 as I've 2 baby daughters, 18mths and 3mths... the older will be starting creche next week and before it's even started we can feel the headaches of organising it all.

I start work at 830. Any colleagues who have children invariably turn up by 9-915. Management tend not to say anything.

anndub · 01-09-2021 2:27pm

We didn't. Even with me being granted a 4 day week (doing my 5 day a week role in 4 days to be more accurate) it became an impossible juggle when number two came along. I had been leaving the house at 7am in order to be back to pick up from crèche at 5 with my husband doing drop offs and starting work closer to 9.30. My husband's commute is very short with mine involving a good chunk of the M50 and there were too many days where he would also have to do the pick up as I'd be stuck bumper to bumper for hours.

So I'm home for now and we've tightened the purse strings to accommodate that. The personal sacrifice is bigger than the financial in my eyes and if there had been any way to make it work we would have but the stress was becoming too much and the work life balance was becoming very skewed.

I also dream of coming across the perfect 2 day or 5 morning a week role! Edited to add the general plan is for me to return full time in the next year or two and husband to take some time out. I'm all about equality!!

09-09-2021 2:20am

5 mornings a week may sound like the ideal, but from experience of doing it for approx 6/7 years, its not actually much better than full time.

For two reasons - the job will most likely still act like you're full time and expect you to be able to get almost as much done in a half day as in a full day, (this was definitely true in my case) plus you still have the same amount of commuting as you would full time - i.e. 5 days a week. You end up skipping lunch, most days, because you're on the way out the door to make it in time to do the school pick up.

And then because you're always there to pick up the kids from school, take them to activities etc, they tend to forget completely that you're not just at home and have a job as well. You get home and its straight into homework/dinner and you probably haven't had your lunch yet. And before you know it, the day is gone.

If I were to do it again, I think I'd try to do more of a split week, then 5 half days.

Juggling work and kids

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