Teacher here--I usually keep my child home when schools are closed. However, sometimes I see it as a great opportunity to run errands, clean the house, have a lunch date with my husband, catch up on lesson planning or grading, etc.

Anonymous wrote:I still bring my kid to daycare if I am off, and do not feel guilty about it one bit. I try to get doctor appointments in, or get the house cleaned, or the grocery store, whatever. I will go and pick up early like 2:30/3:00 but I am paying so he is going.

Deep down inside, you do feel like a shitty parent for doing this. Why else would you search the forum for a really old thread just to post about how fine you are with it?

Sad.

I still bring my kid to daycare if I am off, and do not feel guilty about it one bit. I try to get doctor appointments in, or get the house cleaned, or the grocery store, whatever. I will go and pick up early like 2:30/3:00 but I am paying so he is going.

Anonymous wrote:If a daycare is OPEN then what the hell is it open for other then dropping off kids? The provider makes the call on opening or closing on a snow day. Quit judging the parents for using a service they've paid for!

Hell yes! Parents deserve a break, too.

Anonymous wrote:OP, (a) this is your mother's own fault. She is a pushover if she lets people drop their kids off on snow days. Why on earth isn't she following the public school schedule? That's what my in home provider does.

(b) You sound like a bitch.

She does not sound like a bitch, but you sure do.

Um, how is this the OP's mom's fault? She runs a business and is probably also trying to help people who really need childcare. This is like saying that if the grocery store stays open while it snows, it's their fault that people are risking going out on the roads to buy milk when it's not safe (I'm not referring to the risk for employees, which would be a very different story and obviously doesn't apply to an at-home daycare without other employees).

I literally can't believe how many people have tried to blame OP's mom for this.

I think it's reasonable to take your kid to daycare on a day off -- once in a while and maybe for a shortened day. Everyone needs a break, and we all have work (paid and unpaid) to catch up on. If you have small children, it can be impossible to get anything done. Plus, kids thrive on routine.

But I wouldn't do it if the weather were truly bad, only if it was a situation like we often have where it's totally fine out but schools close because of some other part of the county. And I probably wouldn't do it for the whole day -- maybe bring the kid in late and pick up early.

That said, I'm a SAHM, and I find snow days really tough. My DH still has to work from home, and the activities or meet-ups I had planned for my kid and I are canceled. If you're used to being at home most of the time anyway but with an excursion out for a few hours, it's really dull to be stuck at home all day with no other options. But I don't think I'd feel this way if I WOTH because it would be out of the ordinary (I used to love staying home on weekends when I was working all week but now like to get out more because I am home all week). I get that people have work commitments even from home sometimes or emails to check even if they're off for a snow day, but I don't think I would take my child to full-day daycare if it was a snow day.

OP, (a) this is your mother's own fault. She is a pushover if she lets people drop their kids off on snow days. Why on earth isn't she following the public school schedule? That's what my in home provider does.

(b) You sound like a bitch.

Anonymous wrote:I guess I'm in the minority, but I agree with OP somewhat. If you aren't required to work or telework on a snow day, I think it's weird that people don't keep their kids at home. I work FT and would much rather spend time with my kids, rather than do other things. My kids spend enough time at day care as it is.

Totally the way I feel. Our kids are grown, but I always looked forward to spending relaxed, fun days with them when I didn't have to go to work. I do understand that not everyone has the kind of job that allows it.

Maybe they are exhausted and desperately need a nap.

I have to work,even when the office closes, as do tons of other people with telework arrangements. My husband is a fed, but with ongoing research to advance so also needs to work on days they are shut down. Our snow days are ridiculously stressful, as we're trying to entertain the kids while also trying to do work any worrying about deadlines. It's not helped by mommy guilt that I should be recreating the fun snow days of my youth. The reality is that we all end up short-tempered from the multi-tasking, the kids watch too much TV, and DH and I end up having to work evenings or weekends to make up for the missed work which results in less time with our kids. I probably keep my kids home more than I should because I wish I could be the mom with no other commitments (though I enjoy working) but honestly, I think we're all better served when we can stick to the usual schedule.

Totally agree with you OP. My neighbor keeps her kids in daycare all summer except for the two weeks they take as vacation. It absolutely amazes me that she would willingly leave a 1 and 3 year old in daycare all day when she doesn't have to. I totally understand the need for daycare if you have to work. But to choose to be away from your kids all day is just something I will never understand.