If your kids are in aftercare, ditch the weekday activities unless they are at the school. The kids may complain but will survive. Summer is a great chance to try new things when those things can double as childcare.

The reality is, you can't change your situation if you don't change something. To get to bed earlier and have time to eat together, they really need to get home earlier.

I also don't see a huge issue with screens while you're prepping dinner, especially given the kids have had a long day of school + aftercare. Then maybe everyone can be recharged to have a little family time (whether it's sitting and reading together, playing a game, or you vegging on couch while the kids play). They've been busy all day though ... I wouldn't worry about doing something enriching, just being present.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. My work hours are supposed to be 8am to 4:30pm, but it is flexible enough to work around the clock. My younger kid is not waking up to leave for daycare, so I push my work hour to start at 9:30am and I end the workday early on days that they have activities or work till it is time for me to pick them up before aftercare ends on other days. I work some hours on early mornings or evenings or weekend to make up 40 hours a week. They love those activities for fun, so I pull them out early from aftercare to make it work.

I pay for both kids' beforecare and it starts at 7am. Both kids are not able to do 7am drop off, especially the younger one.

Yeah, folks, the OP does NOT have a rigid job where she can't get home earlier - that discussion is misplaced.

Right but now I've lost track of what OP is asking.

Why not do dinner prep while kids are at activities, since you can get home earlier?

Because her initial ask was ridiculous. She has created her own problem.

+2

I have to agree. So much you can do, OP, given the flexibility you describe.

On the days your kids don't have activities, pick them up earlier. At least on those days, your kids can go to bed earlier, and you can get an earlier start the following mornings and get more work done then.

Obviously don't use beforecare if you don't need it.

Take away the devices. Let your kids make messes.

Stream line dinner. Google is your friend here.

Make sure DH is doing his fair share.

+1 to all this. My kids are similar ages OP and activities every night like that would be too exhausting for them. My 7yo actually told me that the spring weekdays were too busy so we scaled back this fall and also shifted one activity to the weekend. So now he has two weekdays with after school activities and 4yo only has one. We will go to the playground a couple days when the weather is nice.

I get the screens rut- we were allowing too much tv during the week and it was causing issues. At the start of the school year we said no more tv in the evenings after school. There was some complaining but now they are used to it. I will let them watch for 20 min or so in the morning if they get themselves ready for the day in time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe how many people in this thread are living these fantasy lives. Pre-pandemic when people were not WFH, this is exactly the schedule my husband and I had. It's also the schedule I know most families with dual working parents had. Now its like everyone is making 7 figures and works 10 - 3 and can do 3:15 school pickup.

Even before Covid I didn’t know a soul who left their kid at daycare/aftercare until 6pm. Parents shifted schedules so one dropped off and one picked up.

Then you clearly weren't at my daycare/aftercare program. For those that live near/outside the Beltway with jobs in DC it was not unusual.

That's pretty sad. I guess that's a silver lining of Covid then. I wouldn't live somewhere where both parents had a commute like that, certainly not in this day.

How nice for you! Believe me, I’d much prefer to live in a metro area where we could afford to live closer to our jobs, but alas.