Sorry, OP. Are you able to take more days off later this summer? Make the most of the evenings with later bedtimes? I’m a teacher, but have had to do PD and will have to run a summer camp at my school. In between, I have had two major health issues and had to spend weeks healing. My kids are literally stuck in the house with me - can’t drive anywhere on pain meds, can’t afford camps, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear you. DC's competitive sport for some reason switches to daytime practices from evening practices over the summer and it's 30 minutes away. Fortunately I can work remotely but working for four hours in Starbucks isn't ideal (and meetings are a whole other wrinkle). And this is 3x during the work week.

Can you use a hotspot from your car? Even if you just add it to your plan for the summer. Better data security and less noise.

Good idea for meetings but it’s too hot (or wasteful) to sit there the whole time.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you so much for the very compassionate responses. I really needed the kind words on this gross and stressful morning. <3 My oldest DD is pretty competitive and loves it so I would hate to pull her (my son would be thrilled, haha) but I definitely do need to try to get a carpool going. I wish I could figure out what we are doing wrong with money that we cannot figure out how to have one parent home or part-time.

I work part time from home. We have three so the logistics would be very tough otherwise. But I feel guilty that I’m not saving more for their college. So there’s always trade offs. But we bought the cheapest house in an exurb neighborhood with great schools.

But op life is short, it goes fast. If you really want to go part time or find a telework job that pays less I bet you can find some way to budget it. I would probably move from a sfh to townhouse to get that flexibility. The healthcare part is much trickier I know.

Anonymous wrote:I hear you. DC's competitive sport for some reason switches to daytime practices from evening practices over the summer and it's 30 minutes away. Fortunately I can work remotely but working for four hours in Starbucks isn't ideal (and meetings are a whole other wrinkle). And this is 3x during the work week.

That would be a hard no for our family! Good for you for making it work.

Anonymous wrote:I hear you. DC's competitive sport for some reason switches to daytime practices from evening practices over the summer and it's 30 minutes away. Fortunately I can work remotely but working for four hours in Starbucks isn't ideal (and meetings are a whole other wrinkle). And this is 3x during the work week.

Can you use a hotspot from your car? Even if you just add it to your plan for the summer. Better data security and less noise.

I hear you. DC's competitive sport for some reason switches to daytime practices from evening practices over the summer and it's 30 minutes away. Fortunately I can work remotely but working for four hours in Starbucks isn't ideal (and meetings are a whole other wrinkle). And this is 3x during the work week.

Anonymous wrote:You could find a pool that has evening swim. Also, just cut yourself some slack. If your kids love swim, do it. If you’re pushing it, let it go. All but the most serious kids give it up by high school anyway.

Our culture is not made for two parents who work. But it’s also not made for one income either, in most cases and especially in DC. It’s sad and I totally understand why people are having fewer children now.

Generally one income isn't enough in every major metro area (DC is the 7th largest metro area) and sadly, many smaller metros.

Having a part-time nanny now that our kids are older is very helpful. I understand not everyone wants to pay for that or can pay for that, but it's an idea. We don't want to light $$ on fire any more than anyone else but with three kids you kind of sign up for more juggling. I also would not sweat taking a break from summer swim if it becomes too much of a hassle. It's more of a need than a want.

You could find a pool that has evening swim. Also, just cut yourself some slack. If your kids love swim, do it. If you’re pushing it, let it go. All but the most serious kids give it up by high school anyway.

Our culture is not made for two parents who work. But it’s also not made for one income either, in most cases and especially in DC. It’s sad and I totally understand why people are having fewer children now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Major sympathy here.

Myself and DH both work full time jobs. I get one day a week to work remote from home, but that’s it.

It my boys also do summer swim team. But I feel like I’m failing them currently, as they have almost nothing to do the rest of the summer.

We just are swamped with work, and the world is so expensive now can’t afford for one of us to stay home.

Being a middle class parent sucks right now. No help from anyone.

Middle class? Really? What’s your HHI?

450K

This can't be the same person who said they're living paycheck to paycheck. Can't.

It was not. I’m that person, however.

I make a touch over $52k a year. DH varies depending on how his particular business is doing, but somewhere between $60-$70k a year.

I guess can be generous and say $130k per year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Major sympathy here.

Myself and DH both work full time jobs. I get one day a week to work remote from home, but that’s it.

It my boys also do summer swim team. But I feel like I’m failing them currently, as they have almost nothing to do the rest of the summer.

We just are swamped with work, and the world is so expensive now can’t afford for one of us to stay home.

Being a middle class parent sucks right now. No help from anyone.

Middle class? Really? What’s your HHI?

450K

You are so out of touch with reality if you think 450k is middle class and you can’t afford anything. Please have someone look over your finances and spending habits because we live comfortably off half of that income.

That's not a real response. Someone is obviously trolling your trolling.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And they wonder why we're not having children anymore. It seems increasingly children are for the wealthy or the poor.

Gen Xer here. Most parents had to go into the office to work during my childhood and adolescence. Working from home is a new phenomenon.

Agree- last DC will be senior next year. It has always been difficult. We had to hire a summer sitter to make it all work.
Good luck OP. Just do the best you can and summer swim doesn’t need to happen if it cause to much chaos.