Do parents take off work for field trips?

[Anonymous]

When our oldest was in daycare, she went on a few field trips that didn't involve everyone needing to bring a parent. Those trips ended because finding safe transportation for kids who really need to be in car seats is tough - this is why your preschool is asking parents to transport their own kids, not to be jerks to working parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP again. I don't know any physicians who think their job is 24-7 365 days per year. Our family takes lots of family vacations and DH values his home time.

Well I didn't mean I'm working 365 days a year. But somebody is always taking care of the patients. I work in a small company, so a call-in or rearranging the schedule does inconvenience someone or pile extra work onto a coworker's day. It doesn't mean that work is more important than my kids, I just also feel an obligation not to inconvenience my coworkers, and to be a dependable employee. If your surgeon husband isn't the one who calls off work for a 101 temp, is it because he is the higher earner, he feels more of an obligation to his patients than his kids, or does not want to inconvenience another surgeon who would no doubt have to take his place?

DH is a very specialized surgeon so another surgeon can't just take his spot if he calls out. He operates 3 days per week and books out 3 months in advance. He has to plan way in advance to take time off. Our kids are in elementary school and he has already requested off for Columbus Day weekend, teacher work days in November and winter break. There are also a few school events where he is taking half days. He went on the zoo field trip last year. I did pumpkin patch because he didn't have enough notice. He moved a few patients last year to come to Thanksgiving lunch at school. He won't be going this year because it falls on a surgery day. We tag team.

For the record, I have gotten into many fights with DH about how I have to take all the hits for sick days. Thankfully kids are older now and don't get sick as often. I have had to turn around from going to work, pick up sick kid, drive to meeting late, have my admin sit in my car with sick child while I attend meeting, then drive home with sick kid after meeting.

It is much easier for DH to take off for the teacher work days and breaks that are on the calendar a year in advance.

I wish you'd do a spin-off. I am curious whether others think this is ok? Our admins might be aggravated to be asked unless the person asking was also a friend, as well as a boss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP again. I don't know any physicians who think their job is 24-7 365 days per year. Our family takes lots of family vacations and DH values his home time.

Well I didn't mean I'm working 365 days a year. But somebody is always taking care of the patients. I work in a small company, so a call-in or rearranging the schedule does inconvenience someone or pile extra work onto a coworker's day. It doesn't mean that work is more important than my kids, I just also feel an obligation not to inconvenience my coworkers, and to be a dependable employee. If your surgeon husband isn't the one who calls off work for a 101 temp, is it because he is the higher earner, he feels more of an obligation to his patients than his kids, or does not want to inconvenience another surgeon who would no doubt have to take his place?

DH is a very specialized surgeon so another surgeon can't just take his spot if he calls out. He operates 3 days per week and books out 3 months in advance. He has to plan way in advance to take time off. Our kids are in elementary school and he has already requested off for Columbus Day weekend, teacher work days in November and winter break. There are also a few school events where he is taking half days. He went on the zoo field trip last year. I did pumpkin patch because he didn't have enough notice. He moved a few patients last year to come to Thanksgiving lunch at school. He won't be going this year because it falls on a surgery day. We tag team.

For the record, I have gotten into many fights with DH about how I have to take all the hits for sick days. Thankfully kids are older now and don't get sick as often. I have had to turn around from going to work, pick up sick kid, drive to meeting late, have my admin sit in my car with sick child while I attend meeting, then drive home with sick kid after meeting.

It is much easier for DH to take off for the teacher work days and breaks that are on the calendar a year in advance.

I wish you'd do a spin-off. I am curious whether others think this is ok? Our admins might be aggravated to be asked unless the person asking was also a friend, as well as a boss.

Yea, i read that and it told me all i need to know about this mother.

[Anonymous]

OP, do you have any extended family nearby? Your child might like it if Grandma, a favorite uncle, or some other trusted adult goes. We've done that, and both our kid and the family member enjoyed it since they don't usually get 1:1 time.

[Anonymous]

Has OP come back to clarify where this PreK is? I'd be very surprised if it's like DC's PreK and run by the actual school system. This sounds like a daycare/private preschool.

I wrote earlier saying our private half day preschool did this type of thing- they have no "responsibility" to watch any kids that can't come. If it's that kind of situation, you're pretty much stuck with either taking time off, skipping the day altogether (with alternate childcare that day) or finding someone willing to take your kid.

If this is formal PreK through the school system, I'd be raising this issue with the principal, because they DO have a (moral at least) responsibility to either make sure everyone can go or have a plan in place for kids whose parents just can't make this work.

[Anonymous]

I no longer work but it's really hard to be a working mom. DH outearned me and I was the default parent with sick days, snow days, school events, etc. The first year of elementary, my child had over 10 snow days, at least 10 two hour delays and that doesn't include other random days off and breaks. there are so many events during the middle of the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Field Trips are annoying for many reasons.

First, I already went to the pumpkin patch.
Second, the mom's on these trips are clearly not good with kids and cause more problems than necessary.
Third, Kids need to learn to get along, not have their parent hoover all over them.

The preschool teacher would rather just deal with the kids themselves with 1-2 1/2 way not annoying moms. But they really do this for the moms to feel good about themselves.

We go to a few hear and there but we also did not do 1/1 ratio.

Our class had 1 WOH mom that couldn't take off (teacher) and she was divorced so the dad was useless... so I always took her child.

My H goes once a year, I do 1 field trip and a couple of day time volunteering.

Truthfully, you are not missing much. I see my son color at home, I take my kids to pumpkin patches.

A 2-3-4 year old needs support and supervision. You realize how easy it is for them to get lost and they often need help. I always go because I don't want my kid to b with someone like you who basically ignores them. I don't do it because I enjoy it or to feel good about my self. I do it to make sure my child's needs are met.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I no longer work but it's really hard to be a working mom. DH outearned me and I was the default parent with sick days, snow days, school events, etc. The first year of elementary, my child had over 10 snow days, at least 10 two hour delays and that doesn't include other random days off and breaks. there are so many events during the middle of the day.

Yeah, I don't know how employers feel about it. My coworkers havebtaken off for vacations, a kid with lice, teen kid in car accident. I mean, I've had coworkers get in a car accident during work and be expected to return to work after they were medically cleared on the same day.

[Anonymous]

Our preschool teacher would set up things & set an expectation that each kid would have a parent at things - sounds very similar to OP's teacher -- and it's really just not fair to people with different types of work or work schedules or other. We asked another parent in the class to bring DC with them to the pumpkin patch one time (I was travelling) and that was fine.

I felt mixed when my kid's teacher this year (years later, different school) didn't allow parents to come in to celebrate birthdays etc - b/c it set up unfair expectations to parents/families with different schedules. But really, in the end I appreciate that.

[Anonymous]

My preschool did not have field trips and now I understand why!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I no longer work but it's really hard to be a working mom. DH outearned me and I was the default parent with sick days, snow days, school events, etc. The first year of elementary, my child had over 10 snow days, at least 10 two hour delays and that doesn't include other random days off and breaks. there are so many events during the middle of the day.

Yeah, I don't know how employers feel about it. My coworkers havebtaken off for vacations, a kid with lice, teen kid in car accident. I mean, I've had coworkers get in a car accident during work and be expected to return to work after they were medically cleared on the same day.

I can remember two women fired for poor performance. Both these women called out a lot for various reasons due to their children. I don't think they were fired for the absences but both women never made deadlines and often missed meetings. They both left early and never made up work due to their absences. Everyone suffered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, I don't. I have one school age child and one in daycare for whom I recently returned from a maternity leave that had to be covered using my saved PTO. I have just a couple days in the bank that I have to save for teacher development days and days the kids are sick. So field trips are a no-go for me at this point. But our school doesn't require a 1:1 ratio either.

Do you have a husband?

Yes. His job is very restrictive about taking PTO. If he needs to have a day off when Congress is in session it has to be planned and approved months in advance, and even then is subject to cancelation. He has missed many family weddings, reunions, friends' weddings, kindergarten promotions, school concerts, holidays, etc. as a result. So if we know about a field trip in advance and it is when Congress is recessed, then he could go. But I've found that field trips are announced with only a little notice (in our case, an email came yesterday letting us know that next Thursday is the pumpkin patch trip this year) so that's not a possibility. When/if I'm ever able to build some leave up again I'll go on a field trip, but right now it's just not a possibility

Then it's on YOU. Poor kid.

[Anonymous]

Our preschool schedules everything, including field trips at the beginning of the year. One of the first things we do is put all the potential parent-participation events on the calendar and divvy them up.

[Anonymous]

Yes, but not every field trip. They truly expect one parent for each kid? That is ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but not every field trip. They truly expect one parent for each kid? That is ridiculous.

Its probably a transportation/liability issue.