How do 2 full time working parents make it work

[Anonymous]

Our oldest will be in kindergarten next year. We recently let our nanny go. Kids are together in preschool now and with the pandemic we have been able to make drop off and pick up work. Next year when we are at 2 different schools with one not starting until 9:20am how do we both keep our full time jobs? I have flex hours so I can leave work early enough to rush to both schools and get kids. Husband can drop off at one school in AM but cannot do 9:20 because he wouldn’t get to work until 10:30! Seriously, how can both parents work full time and have kids in school without help? I don’t want to hire a nanny because they would have nothing to do all day. Do I get a housekeeper that drives? Au pair? Help!

[Anonymous]

Do your schools have before or after care?

[Anonymous]

Before care. Many schools offer it. I'm going to have three drop offs next year and my plan is a morning nanny that'll take the three to school. She'll work from 7:15 to 9:15 (and then will start her other job at 9:30)

[Anonymous]

What do you do for childcare after preschool now?

[Anonymous]

Ah good point! Forgot to add I don’t want to do before care. I feel like we’re hardly with our kids the way it is. They are so little and the days are so long. Want to avoid if I can. The Kindergartner could do before care if absolutely necessary. -OP

[Anonymous]

The kids go extended day so with my flex hours I am able to log off with just enough time to get them at school. -OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ah good point! Forgot to add I don’t want to do before care. I feel like we’re hardly with our kids the way it is. They are so little and the days are so long. Want to avoid if I can. The Kindergartner could do before care if absolutely necessary. -OP

I dropped back to PT. It was the only way we could make it work, and I'm fine with it now. I actually like it more.

[Anonymous]

How do they do it? Flex their hours or utilize before/after care or both.

DH drops off DS at 8 so he has 35 minutes in before care. He then works until 6. I get to work by 7 so I ca pick up at 4:15 so he has 45 minutes in after care. Both of us do more work at 9:30 pm after DS is asleep and dishes are done.

It is stressful and feels rushed and I don’t get nearly as much done at work as I would like, but it is manageable for a phase of life.

[Anonymous]

We only have 1 kid, who attends a private school less than 10 minutes away from our house, and stagger our schedules so that I do drop off (and work late) and DH does pickup (and works 7 am to 4 pm). Other dual WOH parents use before-care (we only use aftercare because it’s not a problem for me to start work at 10 am). If we both worked 9-5 (or 6) it wouldn’t work.

[Anonymous]

I work in the office for 6 hours (10-4) then log in for another 1-2 hours at night after the kids are asleep. Neither DH or I are big TV people anyway.

[Anonymous]

Shorter commute is how we do it.

[Anonymous]

When our kids were 2 and 3, we both started working from home. We made less money, but it was the only way make it work without before/after care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our oldest will be in kindergarten next year. We recently let our nanny go. Kids are together in preschool now and with the pandemic we have been able to make drop off and pick up work. Next year when we are at 2 different schools with one not starting until 9:20am how do we both keep our full time jobs? I have flex hours so I can leave work early enough to rush to both schools and get kids. Husband can drop off at one school in AM but cannot do 9:20 because he wouldn’t get to work until 10:30! Seriously, how can both parents work full time and have kids in school without help? I don’t want to hire a nanny because they would have nothing to do all day. Do I get a housekeeper that drives? Au pair? Help!

Most schools offer before and aftercare. We are in MoCo. Where are you? Now. I can’t believe I am saying this but kinder could be a weird schedule next fall. I know. I know. But mentally prepare for a weird hybrid. Hopefully though the before/aftercare provider could cover the deficit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ah good point! Forgot to add I don’t want to do before care. I feel like we’re hardly with our kids the way it is. They are so little and the days are so long. Want to avoid if I can. The Kindergartner could do before care if absolutely necessary. -OP

If you're going to be at work before school starts so you can't drop the kid off, how does not using before care help you spend more time with them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ah good point! Forgot to add I don’t want to do before care. I feel like we’re hardly with our kids the way it is. They are so little and the days are so long. Want to avoid if I can. The Kindergartner could do before care if absolutely necessary. -OP

Well then you’re excluding as an option the way most parents make it work (often both before and aftercare).

We have always had an au pair. But of course you can’t usually do all this without some sort of extra time. School hours alone aren’t as long as full time work hours.