Do parents take off work for field trips?

[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 had to go back and re-read this to make sure I wasn't missing something. You left your sick child in the car with your admin so that you could attend a meeting? Two things (1) That's just cruel. Your sick child does not need to be sitting in a car. He needs to be home in his bed. (2) You are not that important. The world will not end if you miss a meeting.

[Anonymous]

My boss has asked me to bring in my sick child and have an analyst watch my child so I could still work. I worked from home that day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is in Pre-k. I got a note that a field trip to a pumpkin patch is scheduled in October. An adult is expected to transport the child there and back to school, and be in attendance during the field trip (0900-1200). I asked the teacher if a parent was unable to attend, would the child stay at the school (which is a daycare that does before/after care for Pre-k). She said she has never had a child unable to attend, and that a grandparent or other adult could bring the child instead of the parent, or that I could just take off work the few hours during the trip (so I wouldn't be at work from 0830-1300).

Is this normal? Do parents use PTO for things other than sick days? I really don't imagine many parents willing to take a day off for a pumpkin patch trip, or that it would be normal to just go to work at 1300. I would love to go, and I don't want my child to miss the trip. I just think it's unreasonable to expect parents to take a day off work for something other than an illness or a vacation.

At my kids preschool, they had the same thing for the pumpkin patch. I had to transport my kid and stay. Took the morning off from work, NBD. If i couldn't, my DH would have. However, i wanted to do it because i enjoy these things. There will come a day when my kid won't go to a pumpkin patch and i can work all day and night if i want.

Why are you bitching? Do you want your kid to be the ONLY kid whose parents couldnt be bothered to take the time? You sound like a lazy parent.

Agree. I always feel bad for these kids. Why have kids if you work all day everyday and don't take a few days off to enjoy parenthood, life, your child at this moment happy to be with his Mama on a field trip. You will ALWAYS regret not being there for your kids. You will NEVER regret taking some time off.

This. Also, you should realize now, that when your kid hits elementary school, there will be (depending on the school) Halloween parties, Valentines Day parties, End of the year parties, teacher conferences, parent visiting days, possibly special class celebrations or events, AND field trips. Of course you don't need to go to all of these, but the one kid who didn't have parents at the class parties in my child's class was crying in the corner and quite upset.

[Anonymous]

I am a doctor and do take days off for field trips (and have driven other kids whose parents couldn't make it). Agree that it is tough (for people in all jobs) when the school doesn't give much notice to make arrangement for coverage or closing the office schedule for that day.

[Anonymous]

yes, working parents take time off for field trips. You can swap duties with your significant other so it's not every trip. At our school they rarely require a parent for every kid. Maybe 4 parents in addition to the teachers.

[Anonymous]

I am surprised they expect 1:1 parent ratio, especially if the school has working parents. Even stay at home parents sometimes don't go on the field trips because of siblings. I know our elementary school would not allow a parent to bring younger siblings on a field trip.

[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.

A pp here, but really, try speaking with the school administrators. Provide respectful feedback. It's so easy to hear a few parents suggesting something might be fun, then it turning into a field trip, then a tradition, with no real purpose that can't be as well met at a more convenient location or I. A venue that doesn't require a 1:1 ratio. If a location is so frenetic to require this ratio, I'm actually not sure why it would be a good field Tyrol locale anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op--you have a doctor's appointment.

The only way you can get through all this in coming years and still have some time left for an actual vacation.

We have flex time. I flex around.

I have done this before.

[Anonymous]

I stay home and am responsible for all kid-related stuff.
DH took off a half-day once to do a pumpkin patch with our preschool DD.
And he is considering doing the Outdoor Education 3-day thingie with our middle school son - probably because he's realizing that there won't be many other such opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Not everyone can flex. I had a nasty boss who would rarely let me take off, even for a medical emergency (I had to wait till she left the office and get permission from a co-worker to go to the ER - they were shocked the boss said no). The boss was rarely there nor were several co-workers so someone had to do the work. (needless to say I quit when my child was born after exhausting all my leave). My husband works with mostly men who are really easy going, flexible and supportive. He can take off pretty much short notice if we get sick or a field trip or just want to spend the day with us as long as his work is getting done and he gets his hours or uses leave. I can see how a parent cannot. My boss regularly threatened me with my job if I used leave (to then yell at me when her bosses got upset at my leave balances at the end of the year). At that point, we needed the money and I did not have the option to quit till my husband got his salary up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

A pp here, but really, try speaking with the school administrators. Provide respectful feedback. It's so easy to hear a few parents suggesting something might be fun, then it turning into a field trip, then a tradition, with no real purpose that can't be as well met at a more convenient location or I. A venue that doesn't require a 1:1 ratio. If a location is so frenetic to require this ratio, I'm actually not sure why it would be a good field Tyrol locale anyway.

Its not a 1-1 situation fully. Its a transportation issue and liability if the school does not rent a bus or have a van. Who would be liable if the child was in a parent car and that parent got into an accident. We had a preschool where you only took your child and teachers except on a rare occasion when a parent could not do it. I once forgot it was field trip day and my mom dropped off my kid and they called. Another parent took my kid who I was friendly with and had an extra seat (not one I preferred but at least it was something as he couldn't stay behind) and my mom met them there to take him back. The school changed directors and rented a van to transport staff and kids without parents due to liability reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is in Pre-k. I got a note that a field trip to a pumpkin patch is scheduled in October. An adult is expected to transport the child there and back to school, and be in attendance during the field trip (0900-1200). I asked the teacher if a parent was unable to attend, would the child stay at the school (which is a daycare that does before/after care for Pre-k). She said she has never had a child unable to attend, and that a grandparent or other adult could bring the child instead of the parent, or that I could just take off work the few hours during the trip (so I wouldn't be at work from 0830-1300).

Is this normal? Do parents use PTO for things other than sick days? I really don't imagine many parents willing to take a day off for a pumpkin patch trip, or that it would be normal to just go to work at 1300. I would love to go, and I don't want my child to miss the trip. I just think it's unreasonable to expect parents to take a day off work for something other than an illness or a vacation.

I don't understand. Who babysits you child after the preschool? Maybw,that person can go on the trip. Saying that, I never could understand why daycares have field trips in the first place. Daycare is used by families who work, therefore it should be assumed that the parent would be work8ng during those hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

A pp here, but really, try speaking with the school administrators. Provide respectful feedback. It's so easy to hear a few parents suggesting something might be fun, then it turning into a field trip, then a tradition, with no real purpose that can't be as well met at a more convenient location or I. A venue that doesn't require a 1:1 ratio. If a location is so frenetic to require this ratio, I'm actually not sure why it would be a good field Tyrol locale anyway.

Its not a 1-1 situation fully. Its a transportation issue and liability if the school does not rent a bus or have a van. Who would be liable if the child was in a parent car and that parent got into an accident. We had a preschool where you only took your child and teachers except on a rare occasion when a parent could not do it. I once forgot it was field trip day and my mom dropped off my kid and they called. Another parent took my kid who I was friendly with and had an extra seat (not one I preferred but at least it was something as he couldn't stay behind) and my mom met them there to take him back. The school changed directors and rented a van to transport staff and kids without parents due to liability reasons.

That's crazy. preschools are no there for parents to take days off from work so that they can drive kids to pumpkin patches and avoid liability of renting a bus. But I do think you've reached the kernel of the issue. It's not that the school thinks it's important that parents attend with the kids, it's just that they chose a locale that requires transport. I'd just speak up. The school is there for the children's education, AND to provide childcare to allow parents to work (or do whatever it is they need to get done during the school day). Preschool teachers will likely understand this if you raise it with respect. It may at least help with planning for next year. Perhaps a different locale?

[Anonymous]

DH and I tag team for field trips and certain classroom parties. The kids like having at least one of us there.