How (if at all) did life feel different once your children were school age?

[WerkinMum]

Our DD is starting school this year. She is the love of my life and I'm wondering how parenting shifted for people once their children started school. Did you start to feel a bit more free? Did your DC become more independent? She still seems so young and babyish to me I can't imagine her starting.

It's a journey you go on together. The build up is worse than the reality. Yes you feel more free. Yes you miss them and get frustrated that you don't know what they're doing all day. But she will be ready by the time it happens.

This goes against the grain of what I see on most forums but, it was really exciting. I love seeing what she’s learning and hearing about the new friends she’s made. In some way she’s become more independent, in some ways not.

Ive actually felt a bit less free but it’s because I’ve had to spread my part time hours over 5 days to accommodate school runs, nursery days were longer and of course we now have school holidays to manage. Depends on if you work or not though.

Is your DD at nursery? There really isn't that much of a huge jump from nursery to Reception. Because we both work full time, our two were in nursery more hours per week than they are at school. Also, school holidays are something like 12-14 weeks per year so there's plenty of time to re-connect!

Working part time and having school age kids is the best. I love my days off.

Interested in this. I’m undecided whether to stay PT or to go FT and opt for private school.

in some ways you’re a bit more free, but in many others you’re restricted by school runs and prevented from doing some things apart from holidays. So enjoy this time before she starts, get in a last term time holiday!

I felt I was far less free and it was much harder to juggle everything then whilst son was in nursery due to the school holidays! Not sure you wanted to hear that!
Secondary school is great!

I was or when Dts started school, I was able to do all drop off and pick up twice a week. Perfect balance for us. I loved the walk to / from school with them, used to get all sorts of stories about what had happened in the day. When I went back to ft when they y3 I was still able to the drop offs and really appreciated the time.

Now they're at secondary and I kind of wish I was pt time again as without realising it they kind of need more from me now.

Oh and never underestimate how fast the day goes between drop off and pick up!

I was pt....

DD was at nursery full time from 9 months as me and DH both work full time so from a practical level school is more difficult to manage. Even with after school club the hours don't map well to full time working so lots of running around, have to find ways to cover 13 weeks of holidays and there are more events to participate in, often at short notice.

Watching DD learn is fantastic, from day 1 she'd come home with new facts, new skills, new friends, new games. It never seems to slow down and she's in year 4 now.

THe first few years after they start school I almost felt less free. Yes, there was set hours they were out the house, sure, but they're not that helpful except for work (up to a point) and they actually need a great deal from you becuase it's a huge change and there's so much going on. Getting them into the swing of it, helping with reading and homework, routine. DD, for example, needs a lot of sleep and was EXHAUSTED when she started school so we had this mad rush every day to make sure she was in bed and asleep by 6:30 because she couldn't cope if she wasn't getting 13 hours of sleep!!!

But it's also fantastic. They are learning and growing and yes, getting more independent and it's so amazing to see that. And of course, as they get older, your life becomes less complex and there are more options.

From a feeling free POV, I find school worse than under 5, tided to the school holidays and trying to cover them all is horrible. My LO has just had to go to a club and cried this morning as they didn’t want to go.

Nursery was a breeze, set hours but can pick up late / drop off late etc. Go on holiday when you want.

But the pros of the school age is all the amazing things they learn and then want to do with you at home. They really develop personalities and likes / dislikes / social skillsz

When my eldest started school I had two younger ones at home. Then when my youngest started school, I went back to work the same week that he started! (I was a SAHM before then.) So I agree with the poster who described it as a journey you go on together - I was adjusting to being back at work while he was settling in to school.

Although it came with some challenges, the thing that helped is that primary school children are generally so much easier to manage than toddlers. They really are the golden years (for most DC).