Reply to Anyone here have 4 kids and both parents work outside the home?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is not me. But I want to throw something out there: it's always assumed in these kinds of threads that X family situation (particularly a lot of kids) is "too hard" or "too complicated" for both parents to be working.

Am I the only one for whom working is easier? My nanny's job is definitely harder than mine!

I work full time, so does my husband. We both have a lot of flexibility. I ostensibly work 40 hours a week, 9-5. But honestly, with breaks, and doing some personal tasks (laundry, phone calls, emails) I probably only put in about six hours a day (which I know research has show is about the high water mark for thought/strategic desk work, so I don't think I'm THAT far out of the mainstream). One of us works from home each day, the other is in the office (we alternate). I don't make a ton, but more than enough to cover the nanny. I have a baby and a toddler, and we'll probably have a third down the line. The nanny keeps the house straightened up.

If I were watching the kids all day, I'd be exhausted at days end, and with no folded laundry to show for it.

I know I'm lucky that my job isn't that stressful and we can afford a nanny. But I don't think this is a total unicorn situation. Am I missing something here?[/quote]

How old are your kids? I used to feel like you and I still believe that my kids early years were easier for me working (and them in daycare) than if I had stayed at home. So I agree. But, now that my kids are school aged I'm realizing just how much the world is not set up for two working parents. Camps end at 4 pm. School events are at 10 am. Practices are at 5 pm. My work day is the easiest part of the day but sometimes I feel like I'm running all over town trying to keep up with it all and I only have two.

If my kids were in school 9-3 and then I was actually available in the afternoon for pickups, homework, extracurriculars, etc, I'm convinced that would be easier than my current situation. But when they were 1 and 3? Yeah hell no you couldn't drag me away from my job if you tried. It was my lifeline in those years.

Anyway this is ultimately why I only have two. I would gladly do the baby and little years again, but I just can't fathom adding another full sized human + all of their interests and busy schedule into my life. [/quote]

DP.  I agree with you, but I guess that I felt like once I figured out how to make my job work to get to 8am drop-off, random mid-day school events, 3pm pick-up, and choir and soccer practice in the evening, it didn’t really matter how many how many kids I was dropping off or picking up or taking to piano lessons.

[b]In some ways 4 kids isn’t any harder than two.  
[/b][/quote]

Do you have 4? [/quote]

Yes.  They are 9, 11, 13, and 14.  [/quote]

Me, too, but I think 4 is definitely more work than 2! Maybe you have successfully had them all do the same activity, or nearby activities! :) (Mine are 19, 17, 14, 12)[/quote]

It definitely is!  But not because of work.

They do some of the same activities, but they are all old snout now to stay home alone for a half hour or so while I drop off a sibling, so it hasn’t been a huge deal.    [/quote]

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