Someone working FT with school-age DC - how do you get homework done?

[exbury]

I am starting to panic about going back to work at the end of April after 6 months mat. leave with DD.
I have always worked FT and went back when DS was 4 months - so not too worried about DD at nursery - but what I can't work out is this:
If I pick up DS from after school club at 5:45, DD at 6:00, get home 6:15 - DS (4) needs to be in bed by 7:30pm or he won't get up in the morning - so how do I fit in supper, bath, and 20 mins homework?!
Do your DC do homework at after school club / CM - I am pretty sure they don't at DS's school, but since he didn't have homework before DD was born I haven't had to deal with this before.

Thanks....

[Boredatwork]

I must admit my h does most of this, but you just need to be organised (as with everything else!)
we get home about the same time, then my h sticks something quick in the oven, and while dinner is cooking does homework for 20-30 mins till ready.
Literally, have dinner, 10 mins play and then bath and bed by 7.30 - 8pm.
Quite hard work to start with - especially to get them in habit, but does work and means at least you spend a bit of time talking to them - even if it's just about school and the homework.
Also hard when they are tired - we tend to go for 10 - 15 mins then as it is a bit like banging your head against a brick wall.
Good luck.

[scotlou]

I get home around 6.10 - dh is later. I will then start preparing dinner and while I am cooking, ds sits in the kitchen and starts his homework. In between chopping etc I have a quick look to make sure it is all going OK. Reading gets done before I dish up! We eat around 7 - but because we live directly across road from school, ds doesn't need to get up until afetr 8 a.m. so we can be more relaxed re bedtimes.

[Crotchety]

Yes it's getting more problematic as they get older. We have piano music practice to jemmy in as well. Goodness knows what happens when homework becomes full blown at middle school but at the moment it is working quite well doing the reading as a bedtime story, read by DS1, which DS2 comes and listens to as well.

[Bozza]

I was struggling with this. So I started to go to work earlier - arriving at 8, so that I could leave at 4.30, be home (after picking up DS from CM and DD from nursery) by 5.30 ish. Then I immediately get the meal on ie put on oven and shove whatever in, stick kettle on for veg or whatever before I get changed. We sit down to eat at about 5.50-6 so are often finished by 6.15 ish. DS then does his spellings at the kitchen table and then reading book after that. He only gets homework on a Friday so we can do this on a Saturday. He is usually finished by 6.30-6.40 (he is not finding his reading or spellings difficult) then he plays until 7. Bath, teeth, book and bed by 7.30. But this relies on DH taking them to CM/nursery in the morning.

[kslatts]

My dh works shifts so when he collects from school it's not a problem. On the days they are with cm they will do their homework there and just save their reading for when they get home. I agree you do need to be reallly organised, I always make sure I prepare the dinner in the morning before work so I just have to stick it in the oven and then both dd's read while it's cooking.

[kslatts]

My dh works shifts so when he collects from school it's not a problem. On the days they are with cm they will do their homework there and just save their reading for when they get home. I agree you do need to be reallly organised, I always make sure I prepare the dinner in the morning before work so I just have to stick it in the oven and then both dd's read while it's cooking.

[exbury]

Thanks, everyone. It is sort of comforting to know that this is a problem, and not just me being paranoid!

I need to develop a version of these routines which does not require DH to be involved, as he is more often than not working late or away altogether. "routine" is not something my DC are used to

Also need to change my cooking repetoire to include lots of things which can be chucked in the oven and ignored in favour of homework - otherwise we will be living on ready meals - and hope that DD will have enough stimulation at nursery all day to be content to sit and watch for a while, and have her "quality time" once DS is in bed.

It is just going to get worse and worse as they get older, isn't it? Music practice, more homework, DD reaching the stage when she doesn't sleep at nursery, both at (different) schools, aaaagh!!

Changing working hours is an attractive idea but just not feasible for me - customer-facing job means I work unpredictable hours as well - on the plus side, I do work from home quite often which would mean I could throw something at the oven earlier on those days.

The whole WOHM thing requires an awful lot more organisation than comes naturally to me!

[Bozza]

Working from home is a fantastic help in some respects like being able to go put jacket potatoes on or whatever.

[Judy1234]

Our children's school gets homework done in after school club. If they are here they do it with the person looking after them until I get home except their reading which they do with me when tucked up in bed.