Working moms of young but school aged chilren

can you please explain to me how you manage to work and pick up your children from extended day and make sure they have done their homework, not to mention spend a few minutes with them JUST talking?

I am currently not working, however the money is very tight and will have to try to get back to work shortly. However, every option out there would still require me to rely on other people even with extended day option, which ends at 5pm the latest! Who can possible pick up their child at that hour if they work full time??? WHO???? It seems that every option out there is not suitable if parents work full time, unless they have other family members willing to pick up there child for them. Yes, I know it would be ideal if I could find a part time situation but let's face it, who wants a part time worker these days??

I am just so frustrated with this whole system and how very unfriendly the system is to working parents.

Can you tell me how it works in your house?

Re: Working moms of young but school aged chilren

I am going through the same thing right now, plus I have a 2 year old. I would love to hear the responses.

Re: Working moms of young but school aged chilren

Re: Working moms of young but school aged chilren

Our extended day ends at 6pm - still a stretch for me to get there from Manhattan.

DH picks up as he gets out earlier. I'm also very lucky in that he has dinner going when I walk through the door.

Kids are instructed to do their homework at the program so I can just go over it. If they don't do it, they're at the table, while he's cooking. I'm in charge of reviewing homework, going through backpacks for "missed homework" and every notice they can send you under the sun

After dinner, I'm on clean up & pushing them into showers.

It's not ideal & it was much harder when they were younger.

Re: Working moms of young but school aged chilren

I am a SAHM, but I totally agree with you-- between the limits on extended day hours, all the half days and days off, summer vacation to arrange care for, and the homework situation, I never understood why people always say "just go back when your kids are in school". Seems to me like that's the HARDEST time to go back. At least for the little ones, the daycare hours are usually sufficient to cover your work day, the facility is open year-round, and there's no homework to review, etc.

Hope you find a situation that works for you

Re: Working moms of young but school aged chilren

I got lucky....somehow.
The school my kids are zoned for (in Queens) had after school classes that were limited and end at 4:45. However, both my girls got into a G&T program at a nearby school and that school has a limited seat "free" after school program for working parents until 6 pm the latest. It is designed for working parents, and you are not supposed to pick them up prior to 5:30, and you have to have them in 5 days a week. They are pretty strict about it because they don't want to lose funding. Parents who are in Manhattan have a hard time though, I notice a lot of grand parents picking up kids. I am blessed that I recently started a job with a short commute.
So, I'm "single" right now too, and it's not easy. I get the kids and we are home at 5:45, my 2nd grader has tons of homework (this is the problem with the G&T teachers, they don't have kids and have no idea what it's like to be working parents, not to mention a 1 parent household and the HW is ridiculous!!), she does some in the after-school program but always has some to do at home. They are starving when we get home, so dinner has to be prepared by then (I cook on weekends, or crockpot, or prep night before and run home at 4:45 - my hours are 830 to 430) and throw something together and then run back and get them). My 5yo is often cranky from such a long day, they fight with each other and fight for my attention. I also try to have 5 yo in bed by 7:45 and 7 yo in bed by 8:30 so I can excercise. They only bathe 2x a week now! The hardest thing for the kids is not having a lot of time to play at home, and like you said my 1:1 time is limited now. It's mostly in the form of HW/books to younger DD and just sitting by them for a few minutes before they fall asleep.
Edited to add that the ideal situation if you can find it (or at least for me this is what I would do) is to have a sitter that can help with homework, some dinner prep maybe. I don't know how easy that is to find though.

Message edited 1/6/2011 9:33:30 AM.