Families where all parents work, how do you cope?

Mrs_Soup

Would you have to work full time? I work three days a week and that does give me a bit of leeway if something comes up to look at changing my work days for a week for example although this does depend on your line of work and employer obviously. I also have parents nearby who help a lot. Most employers will allow you time off to arrange emergency care or let you take unapid leave (if you don't work now you wouldn't be any worse off if this happened but has to have limits or your employer could get fed up).

balletshoes

I count myself very lucky that my daughter was never very ill during her nursery/primary school years. Any days off she had due to being too ill to go to school, I took off work as annual leave. I work in an office, where my work can be covered during short unplanned absences.

themull1

I work full time term time, i'm off when the kids are off school, and my salary is pro ratad over the year.i still get annual leave/flexi so i take that when kids are ill, oldest is 15 so can be left on her own, my mam only lives two doors down. But i wouldn't work unless i absolutely had to, life is so much easier when you don't have to work....

Tomcatsmum

I am very lucky in that I have family close by who are willing to help out. I have only recently started to work full time again after working part time whilst children were younger. If the kids are ill I can take carers leave for one day.

slightlyconfused1

Thanks for all the replies.

It seems that every time I decide that I will return to work, something happens that means working would be a nightmare.

The chickenpox is easy dealt with and, hopefully, nearly over. I just wondered how others coped when things happened. I suppose it's like everything else, you just get on with it. It's amazing what you cope with when you have to.

pukkamum

This is precisely why if they can afford it people have nannies and au pairs, as they don't only take care of the children they to a certain extent run the home too, they can pick ill children up from school, do dentist and doctors runs etc.
I think it's a shame that this option is for a lot of people out of reach, through cost or space issues.
My employer used to call me her wife, slightly sexist to suggest only wives do that but I understood her meaning.
It's almost like having two of yourself!

quidsy

I can only go by my friends but basically, those with SAHM, the kids are frequently off from school with one ailment or another whereas those of us who work don't consider many of the same gripes serious enough to warrant a day off. Genuine illnesses, vomiting, chicken pox, then we take turns being off, call on grandparents. You manage but tend to have a different perspective on what warrants a sick day.

bylromarha

Just discovering this for ourselves.

With OH and I, one of us has not worked for 9 years to do the childcare. This year, we've both been working full time.

Breakfast club and after school club has been a lifesaver which means we can both get to work on time and not worry about having to leave work mid afternoon.

DS has always "overcoughed" when he's had a sniffle and brings up a little flem a times. He did this at school in January-school deemed him ill and said he had to stay off school for the next day. Emergency cover meant OH taking him to work and I got off as early as I could to collect him. INSET days and teacher strike days mean asking friends who are SAHM if they'd mind having the kids for a day. My work give up to 3 emergency childcare days in a year, so had to use one of those on the last strike day as friends weren't in a position to help.

It's fun discovering how to cope with each new situation as it arises, put it that way. It's doable, but you need a few friends around who you can ask to step in if needed.

ciderwithrosie_2

We managed childcare between us - OH has always worked nights, and I went back to work part-time when they were 4, 7 and 9 and full-time when they were 9, 12 and 13.


Didn't really have any help from family but were lucky in that they've always been pretty healthy - 100% attendance most years. If I did ever have to leave work early - I'd make the time up another day.

penguin83

OH and I work full time and always have. Our children are 11, 9 and 1 now. We basically wing it between us. Luckily the children are rarely ill and they know they wont be getting a day off for a sniffle. I took a weeks annual leave when the older two got chicken pox. I always keep about 10 days annual leave back that I don't use in case I need some days off unexpectedly. x