Reply to Will we need a SAHP with 4 school age kids?

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[quote=Anonymous]I have 3 older kids and work PT. I echo what a lot of PP’s have said. One major factor will be extracurriculars/activities/sports- which can get very intense scheduling-wise especially if juggling multiple kids. Evenings and weekends can get incredibly hectic, and you may not be home much.  However, some families do put more limitations on activities too. Differences with older kids IME:

-laundry probably 3x as much as for little kids. Clothes are larger and often there is the addition of gym clothes, workout/sportswear and various uniforms. Can easily be hired out, or a responsibility for the kids. 2nd W/D is a great idea if you have the space

-food/meals are a lot more work. Eventually they eat adult sized meals or far more in the case of growing teens (obviously) and aren’t satisfied with the same easy thrown together meals that little kids are. If you want them eating mostly healthy, mostly home cooked meals it is a lot. However there are ways to manage this.

-driving becomes absolutely crazy. With 4 kids this will be a lot, even if you limit activities somewhat. Needing driving in the after school hours is highly likely. However there are carpools and other options. If either parent has flexibility in the after school hours that is massively helpful. Weekends can be absolutely crazy depending on what activities the kids do- things like travel/club sports, lessons, performances etc can suck up the entire weekend easily. And once a commitment is made, attending is no longer “optional” like in elementary school

-older kids need a lot of guidance and emotional support, but that usually happens in the evening hours. At any given time, one of my 3 kids seems to be needy or struggling with something. Once that is resolved, the next kid will have an issue. There always seems to be something going on. Many will also require close monitoring of grades and schoolwork especially in the middle school years and possibly early high school years. It is a big transition for them and some kids handle better than others. Nearly all schools have an app to monitor grades in real time which makes this much easier. 
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