Aftercare is cruel to kindergarteners

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has been covered before. Some folks have to work full time and don't really have a choice. .

Sure they do. Downsize, downsize, downsize. You don't need to live in a 3,000 sq ft place, hire help for cleaning and yardwork, wear the best clothes, have an iPhone5, drive an SUV with only one or two kids, use coupons and shop the specials. Cook more, go out to eat once a month or less.

It can easily be done, even in this area. But people here are too set on keeping up their extravagant lifestyles.

Priorities.

totallay this!!! People have their priorities in the wrong place!! Sad but true

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has been covered before. Some folks have to work full time and don't really have a choice. .

Sure they do. Downsize, downsize, downsize. You don't need to live in a 3,000 sq ft place, hire help for cleaning and yardwork, wear the best clothes, have an iPhone5, drive an SUV with only one or two kids, use coupons and shop the specials. Cook more, go out to eat once a month or less.

It can easily be done, even in this area. But people here are too set on keeping up their extravagant lifestyles.

Priorities.

totallay this!!! People have their priorities in the wrong place!! Sad but true

O. Ill quit my job. File bankruptcy and go on welfare.... They type of single mother you want

[Anonymous]

We are doing aftercare not before because work does not get finished at 3PM for me. I figure I'll get him around 5-5:30. I talked to my DH about how I felt badly because my mom was home after school. My child is an only so he said what is going to do at home? Watch TV and eat-at least he can play with friends after school. We took him to see it and he loved it and didn't want to leave!

[Anonymous]

Well OP...I wanted my only child to go to the best schools money could buy and she did. She went to aftercare. She did superbly in school and ended up at a top elite school here and then an elite Ivy. If I had stayed home, she would have been stuck going to some louzy state school like UDC or UMD on one salary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:God. We make 380 too pp and no way could I afford all the stuff you do. I feel like we are struggling, even though I know, I know, we're not. Economics are so often left out of this discussion. It stupid because it isn't the elephant in the room -- it's the room. Giving up 200 k plus is a world different than a teacher or any other 50 k ish salary. It just is. Most of the sahms I know made less than 50 k and say what they will, the decision was based largely on money.

Agree. And let's also be blunt - it's not just giving up family income, it's giving up the possibility of income for the SAHP if the couple divorces. Makes no sense even if both parents make over $100K to have one of them give it up, and have to start all over if they do divorce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has been covered before. Some folks have to work full time and don't really have a choice. .

Sure they do. Downsize, downsize, downsize. You don't need to live in a 3,000 sq ft place, hire help for cleaning and yardwork, wear the best clothes, have an iPhone5, drive an SUV with only one or two kids, use coupons and shop the specials. Cook more, go out to eat once a month or less.

It can easily be done, even in this area. But people here are too set on keeping up their extravagant lifestyles.

Priorities.

totallay this!!! People have their priorities in the wrong place!! Sad but true

So I should have tried to get an MRS degree and start popping out babies in my early 20s instead of going to grad school? Was that move a case of wrong priorities? Because then, you know, I actually wanted to use the advanced education I worked so hard to obtain.

[Anonymous]

Hmm, some judgemental person is sitting at home on the computer today, kids watching tv, husband having lunch with the mistress enjoying half of their "eating out budget" spewing venom at random people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has been covered before. Some folks have to work full time and don't really have a choice. .

Sure they do. Downsize, downsize, downsize. You don't need to live in a 3,000 sq ft place, hire help for cleaning and yardwork, wear the best clothes, have an iPhone5, drive an SUV with only one or two kids, use coupons and shop the specials. Cook more, go out to eat once a month or less.

It can easily be done, even in this area. But people here are too set on keeping up their extravagant lifestyles.

Priorities.

totallay this!!! People have their priorities in the wrong place!! Sad but true

O. Ill quit my job. File bankruptcy and go on welfare.... They type of single mother you want

LOL +1

[Anonymous]

You sound like a man OP who misses the "good old days" when women were chained to their kitchens.

[Anonymous]

What's cruel to children is having judgmental, uminaginative, uneducated, unkind parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So OP, what you're saying is that you depend on your husband for money so you can watch your kids all the time instead of "out-sourcing" their care?

What if he didn't make enough money for you to do this? Would you not have married him? What if he gets laid off? What if he quits his job and doesn't find another? Would you find work? What if the pressure of being the sole breadwinner stressed him to the point of killing him? What would you do then? What if he got tired of your judgmental ass and divorced you? What would you do then? At some point in your life, you may have to do things you are currently judging, and you had better hope that people don't judge you like you judge them.

Some folks are working to support their families, not to afford a huge house or new cars every two years.

True, but - AND GET THIS OP - some of us women also work because we want to, because we are smart, educated and accomplished and have no desire to stay at home all day watching The Chew and filing our nails until the kids get home from school. My son has an intelligent, independent woman as a mother and I am proud that I can be a great role model for him so that he will grow up to be a man who respects women for ALL that they can do, not just as some domestic caretaker for him and his children. So judge me all you want. . .I am judging you because you obviously have nothing better to do with your day than sit on your ass posting drivel like this. Why don't you go out and do something your kids can be proud of while they are at school?

+1

[Anonymous]

I dont know why dont we ask Cindy? she knows everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well OP...I wanted my only child to go to the best schools money could buy and she did. She went to aftercare. She did superbly in school and ended up at a top elite school here and then an elite Ivy. If I had stayed home, she would have been stuck going to some louzy state school like UDC or UMD on one salary.

"A louzy state school like UDC or UMD." Ook.

Doesn't "elite school" mean "top school"? So what is a non-top elite school? Also, which of the Ivies are the non-elite ones? Is Brown (for example) a louzy Ivy?

Signed,

public school graduate

[Anonymous]

Some of parents have not choice but to work and if that means that our precious five year old need to stay in after care till six o'clock so be it. They will live.

It might not be the ideal situation, but it works. Either way, you will be paying for someone to take care of them until you get home from work. I don't know too many full time jobs that end at 12:30pm.

[Anonymous]

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?

Well, for must of us that work this isn't any different than the hours the kids were in daycare the year before. The kids are used to being in care during the day. It is a little more fun now that they have more friends and have a daily time to play together. My kid loved daycare and he loves aftercare. I feel worse for the kids that go home everyday. What are they going to do there? Arrange a play date everyday?