Kids out of the house 8+ hours a day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. This is why we have a SAHP.

But isn't school 7 hours? You drop them off the minute it starts and pick them up the minute it ends?

Yes…that’s how it works if you don’t have before/aftercare.

That's not how it works for us. Kid walks to school 30 minutes earlier to hang out, and often stays after for clubs. My point is it's not a bad thing for kids to be occupied for 8 hours or more. It has nothing to do with my work schedule. That's how their school and social schedule operates. It's fine. I think it's rare and unnecessary to be the kid who doesn't spend a minute more.

+1 kid takes bus and commute each way is ~20 min for total of 8 hours.What OP is actually asking is 11 hours which is a long day for young kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No 11 hours a day 5 days a week is not normal imo.
Unless you both have crazy long commutes for some reason.

I have to be at work by 7:30 and I get off at 5:30. A 30 minute commute isn't crazy long so my kid is at school from 7-6pm. I'm your kid's teacher BTW. Single parent.

That’s interesting, do you teach locally? My neighbor is a teacher at Blair and is home by 4:30 every day.

[Anonymous]

That’s pretty extreme. Most families we known (in a neighborhood with many dual feds) shift their schedules so that one parent is home earlier.

However my kids are often out of the house from 8:30am - 6:30 or 7pm due to sports or activities, with 25-45 min at home to switch from school clothes and pick up sports gear and food. That is a choice - not RTO.

[Anonymous]

High schooler 7:40 to 7:40 (bus to after school sports)
Elementary: 7:50 to 5:30 (bus pickup to after care)
Baby 7:50 to 5:30 (drop off / pick up)

[Anonymous]

SACC has been great! We can drop off at 7:30am and pickup at 6pm. The ES doesn’t start until 9am but the DCs are already there. They LOVE running around and playing outside for over an hour before school even gets started. It’s terrific exercise first thing in the morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No 11 hours a day 5 days a week is not normal imo.
Unless you both have crazy long commutes for some reason.

I have to be at work by 7:30 and I get off at 5:30. A 30 minute commute isn't crazy long so my kid is at school from 7-6pm. I'm your kid's teacher BTW. Single parent.

That’s interesting, do you teach locally? My neighbor is a teacher at Blair and is home by 4:30 every day.

I work in the aftercare program which ends at 5:30.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No 11 hours a day 5 days a week is not normal imo.
Unless you both have crazy long commutes for some reason.

I have to be at work by 7:30 and I get off at 5:30. A 30 minute commute isn't crazy long so my kid is at school from 7-6pm. I'm your kid's teacher BTW. Single parent.

That’s interesting, do you teach locally? My neighbor is a teacher at Blair and is home by 4:30 every day.

Teaching loads vary widely. Some have before-school duties. Others have obligations after school hours, like running clubs. Some schools get out at 3, and others get out at 4:30.

(Also, a teacher who gets home at 4:30 probably isn’t done for the day. I got home from work at 5 yesterday, but altered lessons and graded papers from 6-9pm while my DH watched the kids.)

[Anonymous]

Well run aftercare setups are reasonably common. Our church has a (secular) aftercare arrangement with FCPS. Church bus picks up kids from local ES at dismissal. Kids have piano lessons, crafts, play with toys, have access to an indoor gym, and also access to HS students paid to tutor little ones. In good weather, they can have a recess outdoors also. Parents pickup kids from the church by 5:30pm. Fees are reasonable. They also have “day camps” when FCPS is closed and it is not a Federal holiday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Yes, that is the norm. It always had been until Covid changed everything

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No 11 hours a day 5 days a week is not normal imo.
Unless you both have crazy long commutes for some reason.

I have to be at work by 7:30 and I get off at 5:30. A 30 minute commute isn't crazy long so my kid is at school from 7-6pm. I'm your kid's teacher BTW. Single parent.

That’s interesting, do you teach locally? My neighbor is a teacher at Blair and is home by 4:30 every day.

I am not sure what you are implying. Blair has an earlier bell time than MS or ES so teachers go in earlier and might leave earlier. Or a teacher might have different after school commitments, or choose to bring work home and do it after the kids are asleep.

[Anonymous]

If you have a kid who loves getting up really early and loves before care and after care, then as others are saying, it is fine.

When you have kids who don't love those things, it is more challenging. We use grandparents, high school students, and shifted schedules to make it work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That’s pretty extreme. Most families we known (in a neighborhood with many dual feds) shift their schedules so that one parent is home earlier.

However my kids are often out of the house from 8:30am - 6:30 or 7pm due to sports or activities, with 25-45 min at home to switch from school clothes and pick up sports gear and food. That is a choice - not RTO.

Bring out of the house to include activities like this is not the same as being out of the house for a long and continuous block of time at beforecare/school/aftercare. With the activities, at least the day is broken up by some coming and going to and from home plus you are spending time in the car with your kids which can be pretty valuable for conversation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That’s pretty extreme. Most families we known (in a neighborhood with many dual feds) shift their schedules so that one parent is home earlier.

However my kids are often out of the house from 8:30am - 6:30 or 7pm due to sports or activities, with 25-45 min at home to switch from school clothes and pick up sports gear and food. That is a choice - not RTO.

Bring out of the house to include activities like this is not the same as being out of the house for a long and continuous block of time at beforecare/school/aftercare. With the activities, at least the day is broken up by some coming and going to and from home plus you are spending time in the car with your kids which can be pretty valuable for conversation.

Oh please. This is what UMC striver parents tell themselves to justify that their kids are over scheduled. You are making a choice for them to do all of these activities. Parents whose kids are in aftercare have to work. Big difference.

[Anonymous]

If you're counting things like the car or bus ride to and from school along with after school enrichment or playground time or aftercare, 7-8 hours seems normal, especially for kids in elementary school and not PreK or daycare. The typical kid at my elementary leaves the house at 8 and is back home around 4, 4:30. I'm more concerned about the infants and toddlers who get dropped off before 7:30 am and picked up at 6 or later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At our private, most every kid has a SAHM, nanny or au pair. After care is not used by many. Middle school kids can stay home after school by themselves and high school kids mostly have practice or rehearsal after school. It's just the PreK-6th grade years where you need help. I would avoid after care at all costs, but clearly some schools have nice programs based on PPs.

Why would you avoid aftercare at all costs? My kid isn't in it now, but when he was it was some really nice built in socialization and outside play time with friends.