Kids out of the house 8+ hours a day

[Anonymous]

Is that the norm nowadays with both parents RTO? My kids are in before and after childcare and then school during the day. Drop off is 7am and pick up is 6pm.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes. The norm for us is 8 to 5:30.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s sad, though. However, my neighbors had their kid in daycare or camp 12 hours a day every day year round. Even sadder.

[Anonymous]

Yup. Welcome to the world of dual income working families before the pandemic. Ours was more 730-550 though

[Anonymous]

I think it is the norm.

If it makes you feel better, I’m a SAHM and we are home too much. I think my preschooler would really benefit from more time with peers. Pluses and minuses are everywhere.

[Anonymous]

It's only our norm on some days of the week. And actually it isn't that bad for an older kid. She has rehearsal for the musical 3:30-5:30. Other days she is allowed to walk home but sometimes chooses to stay on the school grounds to socialize.

[Anonymous]

The aftercare is when they do fun classes and it's also the main time for playground play and seeing friends who aren't in their classroom. My kids dislike being picked up before 5 for that reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes. The norm for us is 8 to 5:30.

This was us with two kids, all through elementary school, until one of them opted to walk home alone instead of attending aftercare.

We didn't do beforecare but kids were allowed to use the playground in the morning before school started, back then (not anymore). When kids were little, they tended to wake up early, so sometimes they'd get to school around 8 a.m. (school officially started around 8:30).

Things that make a difference: Living close to school and office. Some sort of cooperation with school drop-offs/pickups (whether carpool or walk pool). A little flexibility at work.

DH and I always staggered our work hours so that one person did drop-off and the other did pickup, so that our kids weren't last to leave aftercare. But yes, aftercare starting at age 3 (DC preK) was the reality (and the kids did okay, no permanent damage noted).

[Anonymous]

You mean 10+ hours per day. School is 7 hours a day. It is not as dramatic as you are making it out to be. Lots of parents do it.

[Anonymous]

My kids are in school from 8-3:30. The older ones walk home, but my elementary schooler prefers to stay for after care which has a high of options he likes, so he’s at school 8-5:30. I get home from work around 4 and that gives me enough time to get dinner prepped, do an errand or two or exercise before I have to go grab him at school.

[Anonymous]

8-5:30 was our norm (kids older now).

DH dropped them off at 8 for 8:15 school start.
I went to work early so I could pick up between 5-5:30.

FWIW, they liked aftercare. I'd been a SAHM the first couple years of ES and DS complained that he didn't get to go to aftercare with all his friends. Aftercare was just a big 2-hour playdate.

[Anonymous]

My kids are not in in any sort of aftercare or beforecare and they still are gone 8 hours from 8:45 until 4:35 if you count the bus ride. We are in one of the FCPS schools with the late schedule.

Because we have such a late start, late end school schedule, I've noticed Beforecare is actually more common than aftercare in our neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

This is us 2 days a week. 8:30-5 pm pickup from aftercare. Other two days we have 1 grandparent one day, another another day and then me or DH the 3rd day. Usually activities some of those days as well so they need a snack and to be driven. I only had a second kid because I had very willing and able grandparents to provide childcare and be a 3rd driver.

[Anonymous]

So many people asking this now! Did it really never occur to you that when you have kids they need care and if you work you cant be the one who gives that care? I am confused about why so many are confused! What did you expect to happen? You either dont work and your job is to watch your kid, or you work part time and watch your kid part time, or you work full time and find other care for your kid during those hours. This is how life always has been.

Yes, kids in two working families are out of the house from 8 to 5 usually.

My spouse and I stagger schedules so we don't use before or after care but my kids are still gone from 830 to 430 because those are the hours of elementary school plus a bus ride. This is so very normal.

[Anonymous]

I mean the school day is 7 hours, so yeah, school age kids are out of the house 8 hours even without working parents. What kind of question is this? Did you not attend school as a child?