my kids are so energetic after 10 hours in daycare/school

[Anonymous]

They are 2 and 6, and both kids spend like 10 hours in daycare/school. After dinner is like 7pm-7:30pm, and they want me to play with them for like an hour. I am super exhausted, so does DH. I feel awesome when kids want me to play with them but I have no energy so I give them screentime instead. I don't even understand why they are still so hyper after school. 6 year old wants me to play board game/card game and 2 year old wants me to dance/sing with her or play toy kitchen after school.

I am curious if do you play with kids after work on weekday?

[Anonymous]

I meant *awful, not *awesome

[Anonymous]

They want interaction from you, you are their parent. If you can’t muster the energy to do this every night then designate a game night. Maybe fun Friday, so they ( at least the 6yo) will have something to look forward to.

[Anonymous]

Because they're excited to see you. It's also super common for kids to be hyper when they're tired themselves.

Maybe take them for a walk? My kid likes to do a.flashlight walk to see people's Christmas lights.

[Anonymous]

A walk is a great idea and will probably be more energizing for you (I get where you're coming from!).

[Anonymous]

My three-year-old is only in five hour preschool but does come home at 2:30 and wants nanny or my full attention (I work from home) and is literally on top of us. On weekends and in the mornings he plays independently but after school he seems to have to be in touching distance with one of us. I have a 14 month old who also demands the same attention if she sees her older sibling getting it.

I do think it’s a connection thing.

[Anonymous]

Why don’t you have the energy, OP? Your kids are away from you for a long time and just want to connect. Can you simplify your night and working routines? Get to bed earlier?

10 hours is a really long time.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it's an energy thing-- more likely, they are excited to see you and want to spend time with you/connect with you. I understand where you're coming from as we are tired after a long day of work, too, but we try to rally and do something with the kids.

Agree with the other PP to simplify as much as possible. For example, there is nothing wrong with feeding them a simple dinner like sandwiches or oatmeal so you will have more energy to move onto spending some quality time with them.

[Anonymous]

What hours are you dropping off and picking up? That is a super long time for daycare IMO and I use daycare for all 3 of my kids. I drop off at 9am and pick up no later than 5:00pm. So around 8 hours of care. 10 hours is a lot, especially at those ages. Is there any way your husband and you can switch who drops off and picks up so you can do less time in daycare?

[Anonymous]

So do you not want to interact with your kids at all on weekdays….?

[Anonymous]

There is a playground near my 2-year-old's daycare. I take her there for at least 20 mins after school, even if it's cold or getting dark. Gets the wiggles out.

[Anonymous]

Mine run up and down the halls chasing each other and giggling 6:30-7. Then we do bath for both (girls 2 and 5) and they splash in there for 15 min. Works for us.

[Anonymous]

10 hours without mom/dad—they’re wanting to play with you. I think you need to suck it up. Figure out how to get dinner on the table (one person cooks, the other plays, then alternate). Have a piece of chocolate to give you some energy or something, they’re already away from you all day long, why do you need them to be in front of the TV when they want to dance and play?

[Anonymous]

That's not being hyper, that's wanting normal connection with their parents. I don't get why you'd have kids if you don't want to spend any time with them. I play with mine every day, for at least 2-3 hours, often more.

You and your H need to figure out why you're so exhausted and fix that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a playground near my 2-year-old's daycare. I take her there for at least 20 mins after school, even if it's cold or getting dark. Gets the wiggles out.

Also, people are giving you sh*t, but I'm with you, OP. Weeknights are a tired time and I just want to rest; it's hard to deal with young kids who don't understand that, even if they've been in care elsewhere all day.

Also, anyone who truly works full time should understand that 10h a day is ... pretty standard. Imagine an average person who works 9 to 5 and has a commute both ways. That's 9 hours. Plus some wiggle room for any delays, traffic, urgent work stuff. That isn't a punishing BigLaw schedule -- that's a normal working adult schedule.

I love telework, but it's given people unrealistic expectations for what a full-time workday is.