To ask how many kids you have, their age, and how many hours you work a week?

5 kids aged 13, 13, 15, 15 and 17 and I work five days a week full time. Our contract is for 7 hours a day however part of my work is in events so two weeks of the year I'm working at least 70 hours a week and in the run up can be doing 45 a week. I've always worked full-time, it was really hard going when they were younger as I'd be dropping off, picking up (sometimes on three buses because I don't drive!) but now I mostly work from home.

I have one DD, who's nearly 10. I'm a lone parent so no choice but to work! I do 30 hours a week over 4 days - 3 on site and one WFH. Having that one day off in the week is probably what's keeping me sane at the minute, but financially it is a struggle so am toying with the idea of going back full time, maybe when she starts secondary.

In terms of evening meals, DD is fed at wraparound on her days there. She still raids the fridge/cupboards when she gets in though. We probably rely on quick/convenience foods more than we should!

Most mums I know work part time. A few full time but they are the minority.

my kids are 16, 13 and 9 and I work 30 hours, DH works 40 hours.

I have 1 toddler and do 20 hours BUT it's 5 days a week. And even I think 1 less day would be better for my family.

My kids are 22 and 17. I haven't worked for 8 years.

No advice, just solidarity ✊️

Two children: 3 and 1
40 + hours for an amercian company. I'm in office 3/4 days pw

It's hard and i dont know how long we can do it for.

I batch cook and we also instapot/ slow cook if wfh as while CM is amazing she doesnt do dinner (FML) so kids need to be fed as soon as they walk in the door at 5.45/6
Friday is fakeaway night and its prepreped meal.

It's bloody stressful and my job is awful - the company hates women and mothers, we have just had third round of layoffs office and morale is sub basement level.
I just want to crawl in a hole thinking about it tbh and im one of the "lucky" ones so fuck knows how everyone else is coping.

Two DC aged 7 and 9, I'm 45 and I work full time - so Monday to Friday. The role is hybrid which is good - no way I could do it if I had to be in the office 9 to 5. Boss is v understanding too about childcare, he trusts me to do the job in hours that suit. That level of trust means I work even harder to do a good job!

As others have said, it depends on your job - WFH two days a week means washing gets done, meals prepped etc. Plus DH mostly WFH so that makes a difference. We're lucky to be able to drop the kids at school and they're in after school club three days a week. No family childcare support.

We have a cleaner who comes in fortnightly and keeps my sanity intact

We cope...but everything is planned to the smallest detail, and the routine is strict. It can be v stressful and exhausting, I often worry that there's more I should be doing with the kids. Ideally I'd do four days as I did before taking this job. But we have got used to the money and really need it right now.

Once I'm in my 50s I am hoping to go to part time again. I imagine that hitting the perimenopause is going to make a difference to my energy levels.

2 children aged 6.5 and 10, I am a single parent with almost full custody (exH has EoW and frequently won’t even do that), I work full time 5 days a week in the office. No WFH except ad hoc, luckily my commute is v short.

I am lucky that I have a v senior job which pays well and has some degree of flexibility (lawyer) but it is bloody stressful and exhausting. I spend a lot on wrap around childcare.

Mines grown up now and I work term time 8.30-5pm. When he was growing up I mostly did 4 days. When he was at primary I did 3 long and 2 short days so I could collect him from school. I also had a 1.5 hour commute.

2 kids, 5 & 8. I worked 30ish hours a week till the youngest was 3.5, then started a new job which was 40-45 hours a week, though condensed into 4 days.

DH is on long term sick leave/likely to take medical retirement soon, but is still physically able to look after the kids, so that makes our childcare situation more manageable than if he were still working. Puts all the financial pressure on me though!

2 kids ages almost 2 and just turned 4, both at nursery part time. I work 24 hours a week but this is as a nurse so only 2x 12 hour shifts. I dropped to part time after second was born and it has changed all of our lives for the better, everyone is so much less stressed. On the days I’m working I usually make a dinner the night before, something everyone will eat and is easy to reheat, things like curry, chilli or pasta sauce etc with micro rice and pasta. My husband is great and more than capable of cooking them a meal but it takes me 5-10 minutes the night before to chuck everything in the slow cooker the night before for a few hours then put it in the fridge for the next night. It saves him coming home at 6pm with 2 starving and tired toddlers trying to cook a meal as of course I’m not home until 8-9pm so he is solo those days.

5 and 9 year olds. I work 2 longer days of 8-5.30, and 2 short days 9 -3, 30 hours total. Mixed management/clinical role, so can do the 2 shorter days from home and do school drop off and pick up. My long days DH does drop off and they go to after school club.
I plan to go full time in about 5 years once youngest is in year 6 when they allowed to come and leave school on their own.
I did 2.5 days a week until youngest started primary. I do feel this has held my career back a bit as best roles are full time, but I wanted to spend time with them until they started school, nurseries near us are up to £100 a day, and after tax we wouldn't have been much better of with me being full time vs me doing 2.5 days - paying for 2 days nursery and other half day was worked flexibly across the week during nap times etc.

I've got one 8 month old DD, and would like more in the future. I'll be going back full time in June 😭😭 I'd give anything to drop to 3 days, but it's not financially viable unfortunately, especially as I'm the main earner.

If we have another child, my mum won't be able to have two of them two days a week, so I likely will have to drop part time then, as nursery won't be worth the cost.

It sucks women have to make this choice. I just want to raise my sweet baby, and I think it would be better for her :(

I'm a mental health nurse, so I'm really considering moving to a ward so I work long shifts. At least I can work less days.

31,27,19,14,11 and 10.

I don't work outside of the home anymore. I stopped when number 4 was born. I had originally planned to go back when they went to school but we've got into a routine that works for everyone. The youngest 4 are all very very sporty so the weekends are spent attending various sporting events which pretty much wipes them out for dh and me.

For many years I worked a stupid amount of hours 56+ on call whilst with a small child and cooking from scratch etc. I acknowledged towards the end of last year I was burnt out and made major changes I can now see I have been burnt of for at least 14 years, but maybe longer.
I have been reflecting on this we talk about men taking more responsibility and so do, but others don't ExH I am looking at you. So women end up working full time and doing the majority of family work/admin.
I don't have an answer, but I called a halt to my own situation and am piecing myself back together.

1 child age 3 . Full time hours at my workplace are 37.5, so I requested working 35 hours a week (making me ever so slightly part-time). I often find myself working 37.5 hours, or a lot more, in practice (logging on after my child has gone to bed).

I find it's only doable because I largely WFH and my DH has a similarity flexible job and does an equal amount of child stuff.

There's no way it would be sustainable with any more children, so it's one of the many reasons we are staying one and done.

Just to add, I think it makes a big difference as yo what job you do too. If you work from home and can do things like stick the washer on or put the dryer on, sort out dinner etc during your breaks in the day then it would be easier to do more hours. I'm a paramedic so can't go home at all during a shift and it can be emotionally and physically draining at times which also makes a difference.

3 children, 5,8 and 13. I work 26.5 hrs over 4 days so 9-4 which helps with school drop off and then clubs after school for the youngest and eldest heads home on the bus.

Will add, my auntie has a very high paid demanding job and she condensed her hours into 4 x 10 hour days so she could have Fridays off with her kids. She would clean the house those mornings when they were in school and do something with them in the afternoons. Made her life a bit easier as a single parent too.

Two kids, 4.5 and 2. Sahm until littlest is 3.5 when he goes to nursery 5 days a week. Then I'll find part time work. Probably no more than 24 hours.

FT 36 hours but I do 3x 6hr days and 2x long days. This means I can do the school runs/tea time 3 days a week which really makes a difference (although quite exhausting)
Mine are 9, 7 & 3.
It’s not easy and I can’t imagine working more hours than that!

Oh and more practically- other than batch cooking- my DCs get a cooked meal at school. So when I was full time I would often just have little 'suppers' for dinner- sandwiches and veg sticks- fruit and ice cream- eggs on toast- etc. It had to be easy. We still do a 'breakfast for dinner' once a week- last week was bacon and eggs this week probably scrambled eggs and smoked salmon.

I have 2 who are mid and older teens.

I worked part time when they were small, 3 days, then full time for a short bit then part time (sen soon, no childcare)

I am sure working 4 days would be less stressful at home. But obviously it's a paycut and depending on your job could mean less progress or just more in work stress.

I think wellbeing is a good reason to consider part time, but not tea!

I have a 14 year old son with learning difficulties and significant SEN and a 12 year old son. I did full time up until 2023 in a high pressure role and it broke me. Even though DH had very flexible hours and did alot of the day to day especially medical appointments. I then worked 4 days and used my day off to batch cook and catch up on the necessities. But although I was being paid for 4 days I still had more than a full workload and found myself up at 3 in the morning at weekends trying to keep on top of things. I had an extremely unsympathetic boss who told me 'it's hard for every working parent'. I finally had a breakdown and am now 'retired' although I have started taking on some temp jobs as the COL starts to bite.

When I was full time I had a short commute so would be up at 5 am trying to tidy the house and get clothes washed. In a previous role I had a commute of 60 miles each way and when DS1 was born had to give that away as it was physically and literally impossible to have a child with significant needs, a DH who then worked out of the home in a non-flexible job and to stay on top of things.

The reality of being a full time working parent was so so much more difficult than I ever imagined. PIls are dead and my parents live in New Zealand so we had no family assistance. My cousin has a demanding job and a demanding 14 year old and she likes to tell me that managing is 'all about being organised'. She also has a husband at home, and her mother and Stepfather living in the granny annex who provide all childcare while she furthers her career. So as you can imagine her blithe assertion that you just have to get on with things irritates me immensely.

Full time (40+ hours) over 5 days. 3 days a week I’m out of the house 6.30am till 6pm. WFH 2 days per week. DH also full time, 2 office days, 3 WFH days. He does all the cooking (all meals that take 30 mins or less like fajitas, bolognaise etc) and school runs, I do all the laundry, admin etc. Weekly cleaner. One DC age 9, in some sort of wrap around care or sports club most days.
Pre covid when neither of us could work from home we had the same split and used full time nursery.