Working Parent Schedule Crunch

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is "remote work" always put up as a definite "solution" to these types of problems? Not all work can be "remote."

Doctors
Teachers
First responders
Military
Government jobs involving specific security clearances
Restaurant/retail workers

Do all of you live in such a bubble that you don't think about that?

This, cut cable and stop going to Starbucks are the only solutions people here can ever come up with. It’s so damn reliable, just like the people who uselessly chime in “Smithsonian” when someone asks for a fun weekend idea with kids.

You mean except for the other several solutions people shared in this thread alone?

The OP asked how other working parents handle their schedules. People answered her question. For some of them, remote work is how they improved their schedules. If you don't want to hear the answers. don't ask the question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We just made really different choices when our kids were young, including living in a much lower COL area.

Grandpa watched them while DH worked from home until they were 2. Then into morning preschool, extended into afternoon preschool at 3. Grandpa watched them from 3 to 6. I worked an intense full time job.

From around the time they were 3 to kindergarten age, DH had the big full time job and I stayed home and freelanced.

When they hit kindergarten, I went back to work part-time, nights.

At middle school, I went part time, days.

We didn't have kids until our late 30s so this was a big-picture plan.

So you never had two working parents? Yeah that seems to be a popular option. But necessitates a career that allows you to work in a low COL area with good schools. We would happily go part time but neither of our jobs allows it.

We never had two parents working full time outside of the home, yes.

Once kids were born, one stepped back and worked part time from home. We have traded that role, though, back and forth.

OP seems boxed in. Expensive city, bad neighborhood, no good school transportation, grueling schedules.

Every job and home we picked allowed breathing room.

So do you consider yourselves working parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We just made really different choices when our kids were young, including living in a much lower COL area.

Grandpa watched them while DH worked from home until they were 2. Then into morning preschool, extended into afternoon preschool at 3. Grandpa watched them from 3 to 6. I worked an intense full time job.

From around the time they were 3 to kindergarten age, DH had the big full time job and I stayed home and freelanced.

When they hit kindergarten, I went back to work part-time, nights.

At middle school, I went part time, days.

We didn't have kids until our late 30s so this was a big-picture plan.

So you never had two working parents? Yeah that seems to be a popular option. But necessitates a career that allows you to work in a low COL area with good schools. We would happily go part time but neither of our jobs allows it.

We never had two parents working full time outside of the home, yes.

Once kids were born, one stepped back and worked part time from home. We have traded that role, though, back and forth.

OP seems boxed in. Expensive city, bad neighborhood, no good school transportation, grueling schedules.

Every job and home we picked allowed breathing room.

You had a local grandpa willing and able to step in and provide a lot of free childcare. Don’t underestimate how much that enabled you to make these choices you so proudly pat yourself on the back for. Most of us don’t have that option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is "remote work" always put up as a definite "solution" to these types of problems? Not all work can be "remote."

Doctors
Teachers
First responders
Military
Government jobs involving specific security clearances
Restaurant/retail workers

Do all of you live in such a bubble that you don't think about that?

It's just a suggestion. Many of the options put out there might not be possible, doesn't mean that that they shouldn't be mentioned. It has nothing to do with living in a bubble. Without knowing the OP's exact situation people are just sharing ideas that have worked for them. We live in DC where there is no busing for public school kids, but I'm not going to attack people if they suggested that to me without knowing I live in DC.

So every student in DC is driven to school by their parents? Or is there no public school busing because students live within a reasonable walk/public transportation commute so school buses are unnecessary?

Up until middle school, our kids and most of their friends walked to school. Now they take Metro and Metro bus, and that's only because they are in a charter school in a different neighborhood. I think most DCPS kids who attend their neighborhood schools live within walking distance of their schools. Most others are accessible by public transit.