Aftercare is cruel to kindergarteners

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

You could have phrased your post with less judgment, but I mostly agree with you. I'm a working Mom and my daughter started preschool last year. My husband and I adjusted our schedules so that we could both pick her up twice a week and my Mom/Dad picked her up on Fridays. It worked great until my Dad got sick. So we moved to aftercare.

On the one hand, I like it in warm weather because she got to go out and spend free time with her school friends. On the other, I didn't like that she spent 9 hours at school (we usually picked her up around 5:15). And I really didn't like it when the weather was not good, so those 2 hours were spent indoors.

This year she's in pre-K and we will not do after-care. I just don't like keeping her there so long and I don't want to pay for the luxury of her staying only an hour (the amount of time I'm comfortable with her staying in aftercare). I also don't like that the "quality" of care changes in aftercare.

During bad weather, wouldn't those 2 hours be spent indoors with you? Or would you just send her out in the rain/snow/freezing cold anyway? You really have some misplaced mommy guilt if this is what upset you.

No mommy-guilt and not sure why you had to phrase your comment in such a combative way. While I love her school, the side where aftercare is held looks a bit gloomy. And indoor play at school is usually spent watching a movie, doing an activity, etc. While great, my DD doesn't like those days in aftercare. She loves it when they get to go outside and play on the field and/or on the playground.

But it doesn't answer the question which was, if you were at home with her, what would YOU do with her during bad weather that would be infinitely more exciting than aftercare?

Maybe nothing at all. Or maybe we'll stop at Chik-fil-A on the way home and she can play in that playroom a bit. Or maybe she'd rather be at home with her 3 siblings and could spend that time together as a family. She loves being home with her toys, hanging out with us. Is that a crime? Can you not picture your child having fun at home where they are relaxed vs. cooped up in a schoolroom?

My DD has no siblings at home to play with, so she'd rather be playing with her friends than just home with Mommy. Mommy, no matter how hard I try = boring, when compared to playing with other children!

Same here. I guess I am cruel and unusual (and probably lazy to boot) for letting him stay where he has friends/fun as opposed to bringing him home and forcing abitrary "playdates" on him. Silly me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of us don't have a choice, asswipe! We have to work to put food on the table.

Name-calling is so tacky.

But really: What do you drive? What kind of home do you live in? What kind of neighborhood? What extras could you trim back on? Yeah, it's an inconvenient truth but you could do it.

I don't want to stay home with my children. I'm a cancer surgeon. I think I contribute more to society by being a mom AND a worker than by being a mom alone. I understand if that's not your situation, OP.

WOOT! You go, cancer surgeon!

Right- getting all uppity because she can save lives and what not. She needs to be homeschooling.

[Anonymous]

My son begged me to put him in aftercare because all his friends were there and had so much fun. So I enrolled him and then would try to pick him up early but he'd refuse to leave until he'd finished the art project.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A good aftercare is their neighborhood. With friends and free play.

A bad one is stressful.

Psst....most of the neighborhood kids are in aftercare.

+1

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
My children are worth more than outsourcing them to someone else for most of their waking hours.

So you homeschool, right?

You really must read more thoroughly. AGAIN, school does not encompass most of a child's waking hours. Your guilt is showing, though.

It does, in the case of the child that sleeps at 7pm. Gasp!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School is cruel to children. I think I'll strap my son to my back so he's never apart from me. Never never never.

If my young kids had to be in school for 12 hours a day I would consider it cruel. 6 or 7 hours - sure but 12 - nope. I would homeschool if they had to be in school for 12 hours a day.

Who is saying anything about 12 hours? My kindergartner will be there from 7:30 a.m. until I pick her up at 3:15. She is only in the morning part of the "extended day" program.

That was OPs point - kids there for 11 hours.

You seriously need a math lesson. 7:30-3:15 is 7.75 hours. Please, for the good of your child, don't homeschool, okay?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of us don't have a choice, asswipe! We have to work to put food on the table.

Name-calling is so tacky.

But really: What do you drive? What kind of home do you live in? What kind of neighborhood? What extras could you trim back on? Yeah, it's an inconvenient truth but you could do it.

I don't want to stay home with my children. I'm a cancer surgeon. I think I contribute more to society by being a mom AND a worker than by being a mom alone. I understand if that's not your situation, OP.

WOOT! You go, cancer surgeon!

Right- getting all uppity because she can save lives and what not. She needs to be homeschooling.

You need to be contributing something positive to society. Reproducing doesn't make you special.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of us don't have a choice, asswipe! We have to work to put food on the table.

Name-calling is so tacky.

But really: What do you drive? What kind of home do you live in? What kind of neighborhood? What extras could you trim back on? Yeah, it's an inconvenient truth but you could do it.

I don't want to stay home with my children. I'm a cancer surgeon.

Wow! So, just want to pass on your DNA, then? At least you're honest. Sad, but honest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of us don't have a choice, asswipe! We have to work to put food on the table.

Name-calling is so tacky.

But really: What do you drive? What kind of home do you live in? What kind of neighborhood? What extras could you trim back on? Yeah, it's an inconvenient truth but you could do it.

I don't want to stay home with my children. I'm a cancer surgeon.

Wow! So, just want to pass on your DNA, then? At least you're honest. Sad, but honest.

You're just narrow-minded and lack imagination. Probably better that you stay out of the workplace. Just being honest.

[Anonymous]

Cancer surgeon is no different from those dads who are nothing more than sperm donors for their family. Take care of the biological part of it and GET THOSE KIDS AWAY FROM ME.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have three friends whose children are starting kindergarten with my daughter. They will be dropping them off at 7:45 am, and not picking them up until 6 pm!! These poor kids are going to be in aftercare from 2:30 on. Why on earth would you do this to a five year old??

I don't get how they are comfortable only seeing their children about 2-3 hours a day. It would break my heart.

What do others think?

My own children notice this too. They come home from school and talk about the kids in aftercare and how they feel sorry for them. They say everyone knows who they are and those kids are always sad.

Ha. I was a SAHM mom until my DD entered Kindergarten. All her friends went to aftercare so there was no one to have playdates with. I ended up getting a part time job just so I could qualify and now she goes to after care too, loves it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cancer surgeon is no different from those dads who are nothing more than sperm donors for their family. Take care of the biological part of it and GET THOSE KIDS AWAY FROM ME.

Cancer surgeon is no different than many other working moms in that she is so smart and organized that she is capable BOTH of being an excellent professional and a loving mother.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cancer surgeon is no different from those dads who are nothing more than sperm donors for their family. Take care of the biological part of it and GET THOSE KIDS AWAY FROM ME.

Tell her that when someone in your family gets cancer. What do you want to raise your daughter to be?

[Anonymous]

OP won't be happy unless people live in boxes, wear hand me downs, walk or drive clunkers, don't have any extras like cable, Internet, cell, etc THEN we will really be knowing what our priorities are, right? Stupid bitch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of us don't have a choice, asswipe! We have to work to put food on the table.

Name-calling is so tacky.

But really: What do you drive? What kind of home do you live in? What kind of neighborhood? What extras could you trim back on? Yeah, it's an inconvenient truth but you could do it.

I don't want to stay home with my children. I'm a cancer surgeon.

Wow! So, just want to pass on your DNA, then? At least you're honest. Sad, but honest.

You're just narrow-minded and lack imagination. Probably better that you stay out of the workplace. Just being honest.

I totally agree. The narrow-mindedness here is just breathtaking. Breathtaking.