Question for moms who work outside the home...

What are your hours and when do you get to spend time with DC? I am looking for a new job because my hours are so long, but I feel like there is no such thing as a 9-5 job anymore, and with young children going to bed at 7 or 8pm, when is a mom supposed to see her kid? Even day care confuses me - most places will only keep your child until 6:30 but unless you can consistently leave work at 6 and never have to work late and live very close to the day care center, how do you manage to pick up your child by that time? I am finding all this way too difficult!

ETA: If you do work 9-5 then what do you do (if you don't mind sharing)?

Message edited 9/13/2007 9:12:25 PM.

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

I have a true 9-5 job. I don't work a minute past 5! I'm sure they would love me more if I did, but forget that! We get home between 5:30 and 6. DD goes to bed between around 7 and DS goes around 9. That doesn't leave a whole lot of time to spend together during the week, but I try to make it quality time

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

I am a SAHM now due to my moms recent death but previously I worked FT 9-5 in a dentist office, my mom babysat DD - I would drop her off at 8:30 and pick her up at 5:30. I spent a few hrs with her in the AM and a couple at night before bed.

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

I found a new job will on Mat. leave, its closer to home - I work 9-5, I try never to stay late, I just don't care. I'm home at 5:30-5:45 and just spend every moment with DS. He goes to bed around 8:30 and is up around 7:30, So I also get time with him in the AM.

I'm not sure about daycare, my mom watches him

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

I work 7-3 Mon-Thur, I come ohome everyday for lunch to feed ds and put him down for his afternoon nap. By the time I get home at 3:10 he is waking up so I really only miss a couple of hours in the morning from 8 (when he gets up-12 (when I come home for lunch). My job is great if I miss him in the morning they will allow me to go home and see him for a few minutes...

: who work outside the home...

I just went back to work in August after having my son in April.

I work full-time, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (no overtime). I work from home on Fridays. I work in mid-town Manhattan. I'm an admin. asst. with more responsibilites so I have a "coordinator" title. I've been with the same company for 13 years. This is my schedule:

5:30 a.m. wake and shower
6:00 a.m. DS wakes - feed bottle, get him dressed
7:00 a.m. - drop DS off at daycare which is a few blocks from LIRR
7:17 a.m. - get on train
8:30 a.m. - start work
4:30 p.m. - leave work
5:50 p.m. - pick up DS from daycare
6:15 p.m. - feed DS cereal and fruit
6:45 p.m. - make and have dinner
7:30 p.m. - bath for DS
8:30 p.m. - DS goes to bed

It's tough, but it's the only way...

I'm happy to be able to work from home on Friday. I make the most of my Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with my precious boy!

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

I'm extremely lucky I live only 20 -30 minutes from work and have tons of flexibility.

I'm a finance manager for a large corp company and I have a staff of 2. I used to work longer hours, but now its 8:30 - 4:30 no exceptions since I HAVE to drop off and pick up DD. They also let me work from home 2 days a week.

The work from home days are very long and tough, BUT it means sooo much to me to be with her those extra hours. The days I go into the office I only see her a 1/2 hour in the morning and 2 hours at night.

So my work schedule looks like this:

6:30 - wake/shower & get dressed
7:00 - change/feed/dress baby
7:25 - give baby toys to play while I blow dry my hair and finish getting ready
7:45 - pack up car and leave
8:10 - arrive at daycare, get her settled, play a little.
8:30 - arrive at work
4:30 - 5:00pm leave work/go to daycare
5:30 - arrive home/play
6:15 - dinner
6:45 - play
7:15 - bath
7:45 - book, bottle, bed


Work from home days:

7:00 - 8:30 bottle & play (work on things here and there if/when she plays independently)
8:30 - we have breakfast
9:00 - 10 she plays and I try to work (I try the jumper or exersaucer, but she's getting to big for that)
10 - 11:30 - nap (I work)
11:30 - 1:00 - play/work
1:00 - lunch together, walk (fully devote the hour to just her)
2:00 - 3: 30 nap (I work)
3:30 - 5 she plays and I try to work

I end up working after she goes to bed to make up for all the time lost playing Which is why I'm on line a lot less these days!!!

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

Well, my hours are technically 8-3, but I need to be there at 7:30 and I don't tend to leave until 4. Here's how my day goes:

5:30 I wake up
6:30 I leave for work
7:30 get to work
4:00 I leave work
5:00 I get home and play a little with Ava, like for 15 minutes and make dinner.
6:00 play with Ava for an hour and fifteen minutes
7:15 wind-down time for Ava, she needs to be left alone to watch tv and relax.
7:30-45 Ava to bed.

So, in all, I get an hour and a half of playtime in with Ava. It really, really sucks. The only thing I can say is that the time I get with her is not taken for granted, and there are some days where I don't see her AT ALL. She doesn't wake up until long after I'm gone in the morning, and many nights I have work committments that keep me out until after her bedtime. It's not ideal, but it's balanced by the fact that she is home with JT all day, so even though it's not me, she is with one of us. Weekends and holidays are so important for us. I just wish being a mom wasn't supposed to be the second most important thing in life. Why can't jobs understand that family is important?

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

Posted by prncss



I just wish being a mom wasn't supposed to be the second most important thing in life. Why can't jobs understand that family is important?

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

i work three days a week 7 am to 7 pm. on the days that i work i rarely get any time with the kids.. i walk in the door and literally put them to bed.. but i think it works better for me than working 5 days a week 8 hours a day.

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

I work 10-4 Thurs' 10-3:30. I live 10 mins from work and they are extremely flexible. They totally understand how hectic life is. They have a young son.

I am late often and it is ok. I never stay late. I am always home by 4:30. I found this job while on Maternity Leave.

I am truly blessed.

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

Two words: Federal Government.

I am an attorney working for a civil rights department in a Federal Agency.

The work is 10 times more interesting and rewarding than it was in private practice, the people I work with are astonishing - beyond intelligent, articulate and passionate. And the benefits are truly, truly incredible.

I have to work 8.5 hours each day. So, most days I get in at 7:30am (DH drops Alex off at school in the mornings), which means, I can leave here at 4pm if I choose.

I also have the option of working up to 2 extra hours a day, to build up a "credit hour bank" - that means, at any given time, I can have up to 24 hours of credit hours in my time bank. I can use them whenever, however I choose. So, usually, I work from 7:30am to 5pm, so I always earn an extra hour everyday. That means, I can take a day off every other week, without eating into my vacation time at all. I've decided to dedicate that day off to Alex - plan a fun trip for her and me, and make it a special mommy and me day every other week.

I'm also permitted to work from home one day a week - I take FULL advantage of it.

The other benefit is that working for the federal government pays fairly well - much better than state or city government jobs. And the 401k and pension benefits are mind blowing.

The only drawback? No paid maternity leave

You do NOT have to be an attorney to work for my agency - we hire a whole slew of different types of employees from admin, to investigators, to attorneys. Most federal agencies have the same type of benefits, and hire various levels of employees.

You can do a job search for federal jobs at www.usajobs.com.

Edited to add - the way DH and I make it work is DH drops Alex off in the morning. We are lucky - her daycare is literally a block away from our home. My commute to work is about 25 minutes, so I'm home everyday by 5:30pm. I pick Alex up at that time, and spend the rest of the day with her until she goes to sleep at 8pm.

Message edited 9/14/2007 8:02:53 AM.

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

I am also very lucky -- I'm an attorney and my firm let me go back to work on a flex-time schedule, Mon - Wed. My husband, also a lawyer, also went flex-time and works Tues -Fri. This means he's home with the baby on Monday and I'm home on Thurs and Friday.

As for Tues and Wed, we had to hire a nanny because we both work in the city (commute from Commack) and couldn't really make the day care hours work for us. Sometimes it can be hard, but we do everything we can to leave work early enough to see DS before he goes to sleep. So far at least one of us has always gotten home in time to put him to bed.

The really hard part for me is trying to make sure he has a "normal" family life where we eat dinner together as a family and stuff. That's where it gets tricky for me.

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

I leave the house at 7am.....before Kerri wakes up. I am home anywhere from 3:30-5pm.....depends on what I have to do after work.

So I get anywhere from 2 1/2 - 4 hours of time with her everyday.

Not ideal but I take what I can get

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

I am a pediatric occupational therapist. when i go back in november, i will work p/t, 3 days a week in the schools and the hours are 9-3 (or 8:30 -2:30-depends on the school). the school i will prob be at is 25 min from my home, but my SIL is another 15 min away, so i will prob pick up my DS and be home by 3:30-4:00

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

I have a 40 hour work week that was explained as 9-5 but unless I don't take lunch it's really not. Before Lucas I used to work crazy hours...now I come in early but leave at 4:50 to catch a 5:20 train. I paid my dues and now I need to be there for my son.

My schedule (I work in Manhattan):

5:00 am - Wake Up & Pump
5:20 am - Prepare bottles for daycare
5:40 am - Shower
6:30 am - Out the door to work (DH takes Lucas to daycare)
8:00 am - At my desk
4:50 pm - Leave work
6:00 pm - Pick Up Lucas at daycare
6:30 pm - Home/Get changed
6:45 - 7:15 pm - play with Lucas & get bath ready (DH and I try to do all this together)
7:30 pm Bath for Lucas (Mommy)
8:00 pm Bottle & Bed (DH & I alternate)

The weekends are all about him.

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

I get her up in the morning to give her a bottle and get her dressed (my husband has a hard time with the buttons and snaps ), so we have about 30 minutes together there. She gives me a ton of smiles usually.
My husband drops her off at my parent's house for day care, and I pick her up at 4, so I have from 4 - 9:30 (when she usually starts to fall asleep) with her after work.
Of course, being a teacher is the best thing ever because I have days off all the time. This year, at least one every month. So I get a lot of time with her.

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

I work 9 - 5. I spend time with DS at night. We eat dinner together as a family, I give him a bath & I put him to sleep.

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

I don't get much time with DD.
I work 9-5 and usually leave at 5. I try to get in around 8- 8:30 and do not take lunch to make sur eI get everything done. They also let me work from home on Mondays.

My schedule goes like this:

6am - Wake up - DD has bottle - get her dressed or bath some days
7am - Take Shower Get ready
DH drops DD off 2 days a week and 2 days my mom comes ad takes her to her house
8am - Leave for work
5pm - Leave work
5-6 - Pick up DD
6:15 - Feed DD dinner
7pm - DD goes to bed
then its make dinner etc

It stinks that they go to bed so early but I try to spend as much time with her on weekends as possible.

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

I work a true 9-5 and DS is in daycare. Don't get me wrong - I used to work longer hours, but I more than paid my dues here so I know I can leave at 5 on the dot without an ounce of guilt.

If I was working in the city (or anywhere with a longer commute for that matter) I would have changed jobs once having a child. DH or I could go work in the city to make more money, but we wouldn't because then I can't even imagine when we'd see DS. He goes to bed between 7-7:30pm as it is.

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

I'm not back to work yet but will be in February and I have to agree with the government suggestion. I work for "local" government and most people's hours are 9-4:30 however I'm lucky enough to be able to work 8-3:30. I will be the one dropping off and picking up DD from daycare. If all works out there is a daycare opening three minutes from my job. I only work 10 mins from home as well.

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

Posted by cloddy
I checked usajobs.com after seeing this and put in the word attorney and got NO results. I wonder if I'm doing something wrong.

Re: Question for moms who work outside the home...

I drop dd off at IL's at around 8am work until 5-5:30, pick up dd from IL's...we get home around 6:30, we play for about 1/2 hour then it is bath, bottle, book and bed. It stinks that I do not get much time with her during the week but we make up for it on the weekends....we spend all of our time with her and I love it ....It works for us and I HAVE to work so there is not much of a choice