Parents who are home by 5-6pm from work - what do you do?

[Anonymous]

I work 8-4:45/5pm, never stay late and am home by 5:20. I'm a concierge at an upscale apartment complex.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m also in biglaw litigation but spend 6am-9am and 5-8pm with my kids every day. Firm doesn’t require in office work so I WFH. Pretty sure your DH does not have to go in everyday, OP. Most firms aren’t requiring full time in office. My spouse does the same, but he’s non-biglaw at a corporate office.

When do you people sleep? You do a 14-hour day every day M-F?

new poster here

That "14 hours day" includes the time pp spends taking care of their kids--like any parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work 6 am-2 pm. Fed.

How do you only work 8 hours and not 8.5? Our core hours are until 3pm too, so I wouldn't be able to leave at 2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just want to say that all the guys staying late aren't really working or they COULD leave earlier if they wanted to. Several guys I know arrive at 9:30 or 10 am, take an hour lunch (we only get 30 min free), talk all day and then "can't get their work done" by 4:30. One told me that he struggles with how hard the dinner/bedtime routine is with his preschoolers, so he likes coming home late (leaving his wife to do all that work?!).

As a female manager it's frustrating to see all of this. I'm not saying that all people who arrive home after 6pm are doing this, but a great deal of men are playing this game. Why exactly can't they show up at 7am and work until 4:30 or 5? Or 7-3:30, which is 8.5 hours. Working 10-6pm is a CHOICE usually. And yeah, it's usually men. Work smarter, not longer hours!

If they’re sleeping in until 9AM and coming home just in time for the kids to go to bed seems like they’re the smart ones? More sleep, less hassle at home or duties take your pick and they miss rush hour to boot.

This is my husband. In his defense, he handles breakfast, lunch packing, backpacks and making sure they have everything they need for the day, and getting kids to school - doors open at 8:40am. Until recently he did preschool and elementary drop offs because we are not in a bus zone. But it means he gets to work late and he’s chatty and he likes to go to lunch with coworkers. He is always home for the bedtime routine, but I am jealous that he leaves when he naturally finishes his work. He can take the extra 20 min to review a document or wrap up a presentation while he is in the zone instead of picking up later that night or the next day. I have always been the pick-up parent who has to leave work at 4:30 or 5pm sharp to make it to sports or make it to preschool on time. It’s a hard stop with no wiggle room and I don’t think my husband quite understands how hard it is to have a non-negotiable hard stop every day.

Since the pandemic, we work from home except 1 day a week and when it’s our in-person day we leave home as early as we want and stay as late as we want, including dinner and happy hour. Pre-pandemic we had my parents pick up the kids and take them to activities and dinner 1 day a week so we could stay late.

[Anonymous]

As an academic I basically work 20 hours per week, mostly when I want. But I put in my dues slaving away on an Ivy League phd so this is my early retirement

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I work 6 am-2 pm. Fed.


How do you only work 8 hours and not 8.5? Our core hours are until 3pm too, so I wouldn't be able to leave at 2

NP but our agency did away with the mandatory lunch a few years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As an academic I basically work 20 hours per week, mostly when I want. But I put in my dues slaving away on an Ivy League phd so this is my early retirement

You already have tenure?