Help me with logistics please!

[Friedeggsandcustard]

DD (Reception) has her first class assembly tomorrow. I saved the date and thought great its on my day off.

I am going on a weekend break for my best friends 40th. My first trip away with friends on my own since DCs.

DH has to work away in another part of the country tomorrow. Will be home after 7pm.

I have to leave on the 3.37 train to make my flight... I have a baby sitter coming to look after pre-school DCs and DD after school... I wanted to pick up DD a few minutes early, drop her home, grab my case and run!

Now I find out that DDs assembly is at 2.45 until the end of school (3.15). DD has the last line in the whole thing...

help! I really can’t let down DD or Best friend... but don’t have a clone. Any clever suggestions?

Any Granny or Aunt who could step into the breach?

Life size cardboard cut out of yourself propped at the back so your DD thinks you're there??

Seriously though, it sounds a tad impossible unless you can get a later flight, or miss the assembly (which is probably what I'd do. My DCs don't seem to have a clue what's going on in these sorts of things anyway!).

Ooh tricky one. How long will it take you to get to train station from school/home? Any chance you could ask your babysitter to come to pick DD up from school (in a taxi if necessary) so you can leave for the airport as soon as the assembly is over (you'd have to bring your case with you to school)? Or if you begged and offered reciprocal favours would one of the other school mums drop her off at home for you, or take her home to theirs for a playdate after school and DH could pick her up from there on his way home?

Is the 3.37 absolutely the only train which will get you to the airport in time? Could you pay for fast track security (I know some airports allow this for £10 or £20 and saves quite a bit of time going through security), so you might get away with a later train? Or what about getting a taxi all the way to the airport, would that save any time/be too expensive?

Or finally any chance you can swap for a slightly later flight (shame to arrive late for the weekend but needs must?)...

If no grandparents are available, could the babysitter go to the assembly?
Don't frame it as "Mummy won't be there" but emphasise how keen the babysitter & other children are to watch DD?

Alas I have already looked at the fastest means of transport/ latest possible flight as time was so tight. Aarghhh! I just assumed an assembly would be in the morning??

Alas no local family and I already sounded out friends before I got the sitter. Seems a poopular weekend for going out or away!

I know it’s tough but this won’t be the only school assembly / event there ever is. Ask one of the other parents to wave to her and tell her that they are there to watch her too. When I go to these things I’m always in waving duty for at least 3 children!

You said you planned to pick up DD a "few minutes early". How many minutes are you talking? Have you checked the actual bit where your DD features is literally at the last minute of the entire thing? At ours the teachers spend ages at the end chatting about basically nothing. If it really was only a few mins you needed, maybe you could whip DD out for that bit?

running I’m afraid its more the logistics of getting her home as much as me being there. I don’t think I can ask my sitter to manage collect her when she has the others already - school is a trek.

waving Her line is ‘thank you for coming!’

Her line is ‘thank you for coming!’. Ah. I think you might have found yourself in one of those impossible situations. Times like this I'm always tempted to just sod everything and do nothing at all! Good luck! If you end up managing both you can revel in your super mum/friend abilities. If you only do one, rest assured that you tried. And if you do neither, you have my sympathies!

Tbh I would just not send her in tomorrow. Keep her home and call in sick for her. She will forget about the line and your day will be easier. Dont make the day too much fun so she doesn't remember it too much on Monday but still offer her some nice activities.

I might get slated for this but could you put her in a taxi at school, and your sitter get her out at the other end? I know many people would be horrified at a 5yo going in a taxi alone but it is something LAs arrange to get kids to school if they live too far from school? I know you can get drivers who are fully CRB checked etc.

It's no good to you of course if school is more than a 10 min drive from the station.

Any option to swap your flight to an early Saturday AM one? I know you'd miss the first night but could still do both?

Or if you don't mind missing the assembly yourself, look on childcare.co.uk and see if you can find an emergency nanny or babysitter or even a local student or childminder who could pick her up/drop her off? Might cost £££ mind you?

Surely there’s a parent from school who’d run her home? Maybe the same one who can wave?! There are always emergency lift shares here

So if you dash from school as soon as her line is finished, you could still make hte train?

Surely another parent would drop her home for you?

Class WhatsApp/Facebook page etc

thanks everyone for the suggestions, school have said that the assembly won’t finish till 3.15 and they are happy for me to pick her up earlier. DD is a bit disappointed but has quickly forgotten about it so all good.

Unfortunately we are out of area for DDs school... and friends would drop her home if we didn’t lives miles in the opposite direction.

all sorted now!