F-time work and kids activities

Spendless

I'm interested in knowing what others do to get their children to out of school activities when the adults in the household work f-time, especially if they finish at 5pm or later.

This wasn't an issue when my eldest was young, as either I didn't work, was at college with flexible hours or had a job with a 3pm finish.

In recent years I've had a job where I finish at 5pm and it's not possible to finish earlier due to business needs. My daughter has had some classes (drama, singing) which start at 5.30 and on occasions it's been a struggle to get her there on time.

We live in a large town and our bus routes only go from suburb to town centre and stop. If you then want to connect to a different part of the town you then need to catch a different bus, so getting public transport all the way is not always a solution depending on bus times.

My husband can sometimes work from home, but can't do this every week. Relatives aren't able to help, as they either have health issues, are working or can't drive.

This situation is resolving as dd is getting older, as she's being moved to the intermediate classes that have a later start time, but just intrigued to know how others juggled?

iammumtoone

With great difficulty my ds is too young to get himself anywhere (he is 7) He has a club that starts at 5.20 on a Friday. After work I have to rush trough the Friday traffic to collect him from the nursery give him something to eat for tea in the car on the way home, get in quick change of clothes and straight out to the club. It is a nightmare I hate Fridays lol.

He is normally late and on the occasions he has to be on time (if they have anything special planned) I have taken the afternoon off work to get him there on time.

I really don't know how others manage it.

atolaas

Are you friendly with any of the parents that take their children to the after school activities? If they struggle with the same problem, maybe you could organise a car pool with a couple of them so that you can help each other out? My mum use to do this for my ballet classes when I was a nipper ...which was just a couple of years ago now!

iammumtoone

atolaas wrote: »

Are you friendly with any of the parents that take their children to the after school activities? If they struggle with the same problem, maybe you could organise a car pool with a couple of them so that you can help each other out? My mum use to do this for my ballet classes when I was a nipper ...which was just a couple of years ago now!

That's a good idea for part time working parents they get can get together and agree on the days they can help and find someone who works alternate days to them, but difficult for full time workers as they are not available on any days to help out.

Spendless

iammumtoone wrote: »

That's a good idea for part time working parents they get can get together and agree on the days they can help and find someone who works alternate days to them, but difficult for full time workers as they are not available on any days to help out.

I think the poster meant ask another parent to do the drop off run and you do the pick up run, which will be later and you'll have finished work.

I did ask a parent to help me once. I already knew her, I'd previously done some courses with her and she lives in the next village to me, she gave me such an unenthusiastic reluctant reply, that I haven't bothered to ask since.

iammumtoone

Spendless wrote: »

I think the poster meant ask another parent to do the drop off run and you do the pick up run, which will be later and you'll have finished work.

Ah I see that makes sense, the only issue is I would be asking another parent to give my ds tea and to get him changed as well, whereas I would only be collecting theirs and taking them straight home, a bit one sided but something to think about on the odd occasion.

meer53

Spendless wrote: »

I think the poster meant ask another parent to do the drop off run and you do the pick up run, which will be later and you'll have finished work.

I did ask a parent to help me once. I already knew her, I'd previously done some courses with her and she lives in the next village to me, she gave me such an unenthusiastic reluctant reply, that I haven't bothered to ask since.

Same here !

My daughter does 2 dance classes, one at 6pm and one at 6.30. I was on a training course for 3 weeks, finishing at 5.30pm. There was no way i could get home in time to get her there for 6.

One of our neighbours has a daughter who does a class at the same place that finishes at 6 so she's going there anyway to collect her daughter. I asked this neighbour if she could take my daughter at 6pm (she passes my house to get there) and i would pick her up myself at 7.

This neighbour (i've known her for about 15 years although only to say hello to occasionally) but she decided it was impossible due to several reasons, one of which was that her mother might call her to ask for a lift ! It was for 3 weeks, not the rest of her life !

My daughter is old enough now to get herself there and back thankfully ! Good job as i work way past 6pm now !

Spendless

Glad to know it's not just me! The mum I asked gave as her reason, that she would be away - it was on a different date! and also that the child's Dad picked her up, I said I was only asking for the drop off!

Iamamumtoone- I can see that's a problem, because you are asking for me than a lift. My dd's wrap around care only allows an adult to sign the child out, so my teenage son couldn't get her and I had to make alternative arrangments if we were both working on the same day as an activity.

Flossie.

Oh how awkward!!! And the other parents are soooo unhelpful!

I can't help really, as I was part time til my daughter was in her teens, so was always about to run her about.

I think trying to share with other mums is a good idea, but only if they wish to comply!

I have done this in the past for people who are full time, Seems so unhelpful and miserable to not want to help now and again.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

They didn't do the activities.

I don't drive, which automatically made me persona non grata with the other parents, as I didn't have anything to offer them in return. So they missed out.


Was funny (when it wasn't :wall:) to be solemnly informed by my ex that I was damaging his daughter's opportunities for outside activities and that he had arranged for her to join something that would take somewhere in the region of 2 1/2 hours to get home from work (2 buses, 1 tram and a twenty minute walk to pick her up, then walk back to a bus stop, another 2 buses and either a train, bus and 35 minute walk or two additional buses and the same walk again, stand in the street for an hour and a half waiting for her and then try and get home.

The start time was fifteen minutes after i finished work. But he, of course, was far too busy to actually take her there.


So, basically, if you have access to a car, they're already doing better than a lot of kids, so enjoy their opportunities more than focusing on a slightly rushed evening.

Spendless

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

They didn't do the activities.




So, basically, if you have access to a car, they're already doing better than a lot of kids, so enjoy their opportunities more than focusing on a slightly rushed evening.

My full time working colleague says her child doesn't do activities due to the times needed, even though she does have a car.

Drama class is changing locations, and it's not going to be a case of just having ' a slightly rushed evening' for me to focus on. It's a case of I won't be able to get her there on time. At the minute I am hoping she gets a place in the older age group, but she's border line on the age, so it is dependent on spaces.